


Peter Parker Imagines Book

by thatgeekyemo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, For so long - Freeform, Friends to Lovers, I probably should stop with the tags, I'm constantly all over the place, I’ll probably add more tags, I’m new to this, I’ve been in love with Spider-Man, Language, Mutual Pining, Not always canon compliant, Oneshot collection, PG-13, Requited Love, Superpowers, This can honestly go anywhere, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and is just adding random stuff, little bit of, most chapters are PG, my mind comes up with some pretty crazy stuff, oneshots, some can get TV-14, taken from my Wattpad account of the same name, that I finally started writing fanfic, unless I say differently
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 53
Words: 200,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24458767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgeekyemo/pseuds/thatgeekyemo
Summary: Just a bunch of random Peter Parker and/or Spider-Man reader-insert oneshots and maybe the occasional mini story.I usually try to keep the readers gender open to interpretation unless I specifically say something, or it’s a request.I promise my writing does get better the further the chapters go. I wrote the first one somewhere around a year ago? Something like that. I’m still writing these one shots for the time being, they’re already posted on my Wattpad account under the same name. I just thought maybe it would be different having them on two different platforms.I don’t know. I’m also an indecisive teenager.Just enjoy reading and ignore me getting off topic.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Reader, Peter Parker & You, Peter Parker/Reader, Peter Parker/You
Comments: 108
Kudos: 166





	1. Sticky Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was as if it was perfectly planned when he noticed for the first time that his 9th period was right across the hall from your locker.

The cafeteria was too loud. Too many people. It made you uncomfortable even though you were sitting alone.

You were never a people person. Sure, at your old school you had friends, but they were a select few, and it took you a while for you to warm up to them. But you went to a new school this year, and so far, you hadn't made any friends. Not that you were complaining.

You were the type of person to keep to yourself. Keep your head low, do your work, stay out of trouble type of person. But it was really because you were too afraid of change, no matter how much you dreamt of doing something.

"Are you okay?" The voice had startled you, snapping you out of your current daydream. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" The voice apologized.

You looked up from where she was staring at the table with your head in your hands to meet the face of the boy who talked. "Yeah." You said in a quiet voice. "I'm fine."

You watched as the boy in front of you frowned a little, and then invited himself to sit down across from you. With a curious stare, you watched as his brown curls bounced slightly as he climbed over the bench and his dark eyes met yours.

"Are you sure?" He tilted his head slightly to the left. "I-I don't mean to intrude, but you don't _look_ okay."

"I'm fine." You repeated cautiously. "Just not having a really good day."

"That sucks." You thought with the tone of your voice, you had shut the conversation down, but instead, the boy rested his elbows on the table, folding his arms down and leaning slightly forward with a small smile. "Can I help you feel better?"

"Um," Your eyebrows furrowed down while you stared across the table at him. "I don't even know you?"

He then cleared his throat and straightened his back. "I'm Peter. Peter Parker." He held out his hand with a large smile, expecting you to shake it and introduce yourself, but that's not what you did.

Instead, you scoffed in disbelief, a shocked look appearing on your face. "Sorry, but I don't do friends that easily." You receded your arms that were already on the table and dropped them in your lap. You tried to ignore how the action had made Peter's smile waver and dip down a little, because to your surprise, it hurt a little to see the disappointment on his face.

But the hurt didn't las long as he just shrugged and smiled. "Well, you're always alone, I've noticed since your first day here, and I want to fix that."

"Why? You don't know me." You stated, narrowing your eyes.

"I would _like_ to know you," Peter's head then turned to look behind him as a voice called out his name. "I'm gonna go sit with my friend Ned, he's right over there, if you want to come over. He's the one who worked up my courage enough to come over here in the first place, and now that I've started, I'm not stopping. Actually," He lifted his bookbag up from next to him and opened it on the table, taking out a yellow sticky note and a pen. "Here,"

Standing up, he stuck the note down in front of you, and you watched as Peter as he waved goodbye and walked away to sit with Ned.

Glancing down, you saw what he had quickly scribbled on the post-it.   
  
  


_You have pretty eyes_

Slowly, you peeled the note off the table and stared at it some more, glancing up once at the boy whose head was now facing away from you. Why would he write that? You could feel it already, how much you were going to hate it when you don't open up to him.

Taking the small piece of paper, you crumpled it up and tossed it at the table, watching as it bounced about two feet away from you, and going back to trying your best to ignore the chattering of the teenagers around you.

When the monitors blew their whistles, signaling the end of the period in two minutes and dismissing the students, you grabbed your binder, and was prepared to leave, but stopped when you saw the small yellow paper out of the side of your eye.

With a large sigh, you picked it up and carefully unraveled it, trying your hardest not to rip it, and looked at it again. Then you opened your binder and stuck it on the inside cover before following the mass of students out of the cafeteria.

Peter had felt his heart deflate a little when he turned around and saw you crumple up his note. Ned had told him it was okay, and that he had tried his best, but nonetheless the action had hurt him.

But when the period ended, and he singled you out from the crowd again, he saw you pick up the paper again and keep it. The action gave him hope again, and that hope had given him a plan, and now the plan was set in motion.

Coincidentally, walking to his 6th period class, he saw you close your locker door and walk off to your own class. Making a mental note of which locker was yours, he rushed to class, writing it down the second he could get out a piece of paper. His plan had now been altered, but it was no less the same, and he expected the same outcome. Hopefully.

It was as if it was perfectly planned when he noticed for the first time that his 9th period was right across the hall from your locker.

At the end of the school day, you dodged your way through the moving bodies to get to your locker. But instead of opening it right away, you stopped and stared at the blue sticky note stuck on it's front.

_Cheer up :)_

The handwriting was neater, not written in such a rush, but it still was Peter's. Shaking your head, you grabbed it and placed it in your binder next to the yellow one he had given to you four periods ago.

You opened your locker and stuffed your things into your bookbag and closed it again, heading in the direction of the school's main doors, starting your walk home.

Peter had hung back and waited to see your reaction to his second note. His heart warmed when he saw that your didn't crush it this time, and kept it like you did with the other. With a skip in his step, he turned to walk out of school, happy that his plan might just work after all.

You noticed that Peter hadn't tried to go up to you during lunch anymore, but for the rest of the week, every time you went to your locker, you found another stick note left by him, every one saying something positive or complimenting you.

And you kept every single one.

On Friday, Peter had to figure out what to do over the weekend. So like any normal superhuman being, he followed you on your walk home. He just wanted to see where you lived. _Just_ in case.

Perched across the street in his Spider-Man suit, he watched as you went into an apartment complex a couple blocks away from Midtown. He asked Karen to remember your address with a grin on his face, and then went off to do his daily patrol.

That weekend, or any weekend after that for the next four weeks, he didn't leave any notes. Peter figured that it would be really creepy and not help him at all if you knew he knew where you lived. He was trying to be your friend. Maybe something more, but he wouldn't admit that to himself yet. Besides, he didn't know which apartment you lived in.

Even though you never talked, Peter could feel, or at least think he could feel the bond that was slowly forming between the two of you.

He was yet to see you crack a smile, but he always watched as you saw every one of his notes, and noticed how your expression always softened.

You didn't want to acknowledge the fact, but you couldn't disprove that you didn't warm every time you saw the words from Peter. He always said something like _today's a good day to smile_ or _I like your shirt, I love Star Wars too_ , and you realized that the boy wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

That was until the first Thursday of the new month. You had got your hopes up to see what Peter had wrote to you that day, but your face went blank when there was no note that morning.

Peter was standing a couple of feet away, and he felt bad for not leaving a post-it. he felt even worse when he saw the look of disappointment of your face when you saw there wasn't one. For the first time in weeks, he was going to walk up to you and say something, but the first bell had rung. The both of you were running a little late that day.

At first, you took a deep breath, not wanting to feel so hurt that a piece of paper wasn't attached to her locker, but to your dismay, you had thought about the situation all day, even as you grabbed your backpack and walked home.

Maybe he had forgot? You had believed that to be highly unlikely.

Had Peter been sick that day? You don't share any classes with him, and you hadn't made a habit of looking for him at lunch. It was a possibility.

Or had he just given up because you hadn't done anything?

You spent the rest of the day thinking it was your fault. All Peter had wanted to do was be your friend, and even with all of the sticky notes he had left and you had saved, you still didn't, couldn't work up the nerve to talk to him. To say that they could try.

You spent Saturday night on the roof of the complex, wanting to get away from the chaos that was currently happening in your apartment, and to enjoy the cool air and to look at what stars you could see in the sky.

Somehow, your thoughts had drifted back to Peter, and for some reason, you found yourself crying, and you sat down to try and calm yourself, but that only seemed to make it worse.

You stifled your light gasping when you heard a light thud a couple feet behind you, followed by small footsteps.

Without hesitating, you reached to your right and grabbed a discarded piece of pipe that was on the roof with you and twisted around as you raised it above your head, ready to strike whoever was up there with you because you were scared.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! I'm not going to hurt you!"You heard a familiar voice, although you couldn't place it, frantically shout out, and watched as a guy in a red and blue bodysuit took a step back and hold his arms out in defense.

"What— who are you?" You asked, ignoring how your voice cracked from crying.

"I'm Spider-Man." He dropped his arms to his sides as you lowered the pipe, but not yet dropping the pipe. You had just remembered that New York was notorious for it's superheroes, and that Queen's had it's very own.

Wiping your eyes, you asked another question. "What are you doing here? Don't you have other things to do?"

Spider-Man stepped froward and dropped to the ground, sitting next to you. And you saw how he noticed you inch away from him. "I was just swinging around, heading home actually, when I saw you crying. I just wanted to ask; are you okay?"

You let out a dry laugh. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." You didn't know that he had already heard that answer before, and you were still trying to figure out why his voice had that hint of familiarity to it.

"Are you sure? You don't look or sound fine." He paused for a moment. "No offense."

"It's nothing. Just a stupid thing."

"I have time."

You turned your head to look at him. Well, his mask. "You expect me to tell you what I'm crying about when you literally just snuck up on me?" You shook your head. "I don't really talk to people in general, and I'm not too sure if I should trust you."

"That's true," He stated slowly. "But you technically caught me. I promise you can trust me though. Plus, I'm a good listener."

You didn't know what it was, but after sitting a couple minutes in silence, you felt like you could tell Spider-Man what was going on.

"I just feel like I ruined what could've been a perfectly good friendship." You started softly.

"Oh?" He asked. "Did something happen?"

"More like nothing happened." You looked out to the city skyline and it was quiet for another second before you spoke again. "There was this boy at school, and he went up to me one day and tried to cheer me up and offered to be my friend because he knew I didn't have any."

"He sounds nice,"

"He is. And he's really sweet. That day though, I really didn't know how to tell him that I really can't be friends with someone that easily. He started leaving me sticky notes, I found them on my locker. Some would tell me some positive stuff, others complimenting me, which was new."

"He also sounds like he has a crush on you,"

Peter had actually said that without really thinking it, and tightly shut his eyes under the mask, grateful that you didn't know it was him under there.

You scoffed and shook your head. "I really doubt that." Then your voice got quieter. "He stopped giving me notes." You didn't notice Spider-Man tense up next to you, or how he started to wring his hands.

He wanted to tell you why.

"That's why I'm crying, I guess. It's my fault. Because I never took the chance to speak to him, tell him how much I appreciated his notes, they really did make me happy, to tell him that I liked him too and that I wanted to be friends, maybe..." You took a shaky breath, feeling the tears threatening to spill again. "It doesn't matter anymore. I missed my chance. I really did enjoy it while it lasted."

It was quiet other than the sounds of the city as Peter say there in shock. You like him? When he noticed the silence had been going on slightly too long, he spoke up.

"I wouldn't be worried if I were you."

"What?" You turned your head back to him.

"I mean," Spider-Man rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "The thought had to cross your mind that maybe he just ran out and needed to get some more? And that he still really likes you?"

“Uh," You let out a short breath and smiled as the thought ran through your head. Of course you had thought of that, but you were too busy placing the blame on yourself to even begin to think it was something as trivial as Peter just simply needing to buy more sticky notes.

"You're smiling!" The masks eyes widened and Spider-Man scooted back a little to get a wider and better look at your face.

"Yeah," You shook your head and laughed a little, wiping your eyes and biting your lip to stop from smiling any more. "I guess I'll find out on Monday."

"Trust me," Spider-Man stated. "I have a feeling I'm right."

"Can you tell the future, Spider-Man?"

"No, but I'm good with people." Happy, he jumped up and held out his hand for you to take and helped you up. "What's your name?"

You sighed, and you figured you were never going to see him again. "Y/N. I'm Y/N."

"Well Y/N, I think you should get back inside. It's getting late and colder, wouldn't want you sick on Monday."

"No, I guess not." You finally released your grip on the pipe and it clattered to the ground. "Okay,"

"I'll drop by later? And maybe you could tell me how it went?" Spider-Man climbed up onto the ledge and faced you.

"Maybe give me a heads up? I won't hesitate to hit you with a pipe."

"I know that now, yeah." He gave a joking salute before jumping off, doing a small spin in the air before webbing a nearby building and swinging away.

You watched for a couple of minutes as she disappeared into the horizon before turning around and heading back down the fire escape back into your apartment.

When you got to your room, you stared at the wall above your desk. It was where you had started keeping Peter's notes, taping them up there for extra measure. Your eyes skimmed over all of them before you got ready for bed.

You were filled with hope on Monday as you took a deep breath and walked through the halls of Midtown Tech to your locker.

For the first time, you smiled in school as you stared at three different colored post-it notes stuck there.

_Hey! I had to buy some more. Did you miss me?_

You let out a breath of relief and read the next one.

_Your smile is really pretty. I wouldn't mind seeing it more._

Confusion crossed your features, but it didn't last long because your heart nearly stopped as you read the last one.

_I wouldn't ever stop. I really really like you._

With a grin, you took the notes down and safely tucked them away in your binder after you had put your bookbag away.

At lunch, you decided that you would finally find him. And you tried. But you didn't know that Peter had promised Ned that they would study together in the library for their Chemistry test.

You were slightly sad, but your happiness outweighed that, and thought about what you would actually say to him.

Anxiously awaiting the end of 9th period, the final bell of the day finally rang, and you rushed out of your class, wanting to get to your locker as soon as you could. Of course, another note was there, the words squished to fit all of them on the small square.

_Do you want to grab a sandwich? I'll pay, all you have to do is meet me at Delmar's after school? Best sandwiches in Queens. I hope today works._   
  


Did Peter Parker just ask you out on a date?

Trying your hardest not to rush too fast, you grabbed the note and put your stuff away, calling your parents to make tell them where you were going to be. You walked by Delmar's everyday on your walk home, so you knew exactly where it as.

The second you walked in, you saw him.

"Is _that_ the girl you're waiting for?" Mr. Delmar asked Peter as you walked in. With a grin, Peter fully turned around, and it only widened when he saw you.

"You came," He sighed happily.

"I came," you smiled and walked forward to meet him at the counter, seeing the light in his eyes get brighter.

"I hope I didn't scare you, going through a pack of Post-It notes went by so much faster than I thought it would."

"Not gonna lie, I thought I had messed this up." You admitted, to both him and yourself. You were slowly accepting that Peter was one of the people you could trust and could talk to.

"You couldn't."

In the moment of silence, Mr. Delmar spoke again, a soft smile as he turned around.. "So what'll you kids have?"

"You know my usual," Peter said. "Y/N?"

You cocked your head to the side for a moment in confusion until your eyes widened and realization hit you like a Nerf bullet. "Nothing too special, I'll have a number two please."

"On it."

You turned to Peter with a small smile. "Hi."

"Hi."

After getting your sandwiches and a pack of gummy worms, you and Peter said goodbye to Mr. Delmar and his cat, Murph, and the two of you walked until you found a bench next to a small park.

You ate your sandwiches as you talked, and when you were done, you started sharing the gummies.

"So," You stared carefully. "I'm assuming being a superhero pays well?" You tried to ask as casually as you could.

You watched, stifling a laugh as Peter's eyes widened, and after he finished chewing, he shook his head and gave you a nervous smile. "I kinda gave myself away, didn't I?"

You thought about your conversation with Spider-Man, how he was so sure of himself, and how Peter left a note about your smile even though he hadn't seen it, and how you hadn't told Peter your name, but you had told Spider-Man. Now why the hero's voice sounded familiar made sense.

"Just a little," You laughed. "Thank you." You said softly after the pink had faded away from Peter's cheeks.

"For what?"

"For not giving up on me."

"I knew you'd come around." Peter grinned again. "Besides, I meant what I wrote. I really like you."

"I like you too," That was the first time you had said it, believing it, but you had meant it. Swiping away some crumbs, you turned your body to face him even more. "You know a lot about me; tell me about you." 


	2. Subway Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the second day, the middle of the week, you saw a boy. He had to be no older than you, and he was just standing a couple people away. He had wavy brown hair, and you could see the brightness in his chestnut eyes from where you were. You were always a sucker for pretty brown eyes. Your gaze fell on him while you were studying the people around you. You always were aware of your surroundings. You never knew when and where someone could be a potential threat to you. 
> 
> Even though he was just standing there like you, listening to music like you, minding his own business, you felt drawn to him. There was something about him that just made you feel like he was special. 
> 
> Or maybe it was just because you thought he was really cute and that it was just the start of a major crush.

There's this boy you see on the subway every morning.

Ever since you started Midtown School of Science and Technology, you started taking the subway, since it was only one stop away to the school from where you lived.

Since kindergarten, you, your mom, and your older brother had always walked to school; you'd always been in walking distance. Whenever you asked why, her answer always changed, varying from "to keep you healthy" to "the school is close enough"

So when the three of you moved, and you had transferred schools, you instantly jumped at the chance that it was farther away from the regular public school you would have otherwise went to and started pleading. Eventually, your mom caved in and let you travel via subway.

Quickly, you realized you had hyped it up way too much, but in the end, you still got the same things you wanted: a sense of freedom from traveling alone and a newfound responsibility. You don't mind it, to an extent. The days it's really crowded and cramped, and you have no room to move with the other people, are the days your inner introvert and awkwardness makes itself known and you try to make yourself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

The first day went well, as well as it could go, and you made it to and through school no problem. It was the second day of your new way of travel that things changed.

On the second day, the middle of the week, you saw a boy. He had to be no older than you, and he was just standing a couple people away. He had wavy brown hair, and you could see the brightness in his chestnut eyes from where you were. You were always a sucker for pretty brown eyes. Your gaze fell on him while you were studying the people around you. You always were aware of your surroundings. You never knew when and where someone could be a potential threat to you.

Even though he was just standing there like you, listening to music like you, minding his own business, you felt drawn to him. There was something about him that just made you feel like he was special.

Or maybe it was just because you thought he was really cute and that it was just the start of a major crush.

In the back of your head, you'd hoped that he was also a Midtown student, but you being you, when the stop came to get off, you had lost sight of him and couldn't see if he had gotten off as well or not.

Getting used to school was probably easier than the high school you went to before. After a week, you hadn't really made any friends, and that was fine by you, being a loner was your thing. But you had adjusted nicely to the advanced classes you were in.

Surprisingly though, or not surprising at all, going to school isn't what got you out of bed in the morning. It was to see that cute boy on the subway on the way to school. Although he had yet to notice you, so you thought, and you hadn't had the courage to talk to him, you wanted to see him. You had always lost him after getting off anyway.

One day, you found yourself glancing at the boy again. It wasn't like you could help it. But this time, he was also looking at you, interest on his face. When the two of you found each other's eyes, an immediate blush started to creep onto your features, and he sent you a shy smile that you could only mirror before the both of you looked away.

Ever since that day, you would occasionally catch each other sending quick glimpses in the direction of the other, and the same actions would repeat themselves. Neither of you working up the nerve to actually speak a word.

Your question of if he went to Midtown was answered when you spotted him at a lunch table nestled comfortably in the middle of the cafeteria.

You realized that you had never seen him before because you had made the habit of spending your lunch period in the library, where you could be productive and read and write.

When you spotted him that day at lunch, he had somehow known someone was looking at him, and his head shot in your direction. There was a look of confusion on his face for a brief second before he sent you another one of those smiles you had been seeing for a while now, except it was wider and happier, and you could basically feel your heart swell.

You tucked your hair that was covering your face behind your ear and sent him a smile back before taking your seat in the corner of the cafeteria at an empty table.

And that's how it was for the rest of the month.

Neither of you actually gathering the courage to speak to the other, and a relationship, if you can even call it that, consisting of only shy glances and nervous smiles. And after those weeks, that all you thought it would ever be.

It was a very normal morning so far. The weather was really nice, it was the middle of spring. There was a light breeze in the air, and the sun was partially blocked by fluffy white clouds that tone down the otherwise harsh beams. You stepped onto the subway after waiting a couple minutes at the station, and leaned against the metal pole. You had heard someones voice asking to get through s you adjusted your earbuds in her ears.

"Excuse me- sorry- can I get through please? Excuse me-"

It hadn't crossed your mind to look over and see who it was, because you had just gotten on. You usually take the first couple of minutes after you get on to double and triple check you had your homework and everything you needed for school done, and then you checked for Him.

"H-hi." A small tap on your shoulder interrupted your routine. Your turned your head to meet the unfamiliar voice, and your eyes widened. "I'm Peter." You felt your heart skip a beat as the boy introduced himself with a small wave.

"Hi." You immediately were flustered at contact with him, and the word had come out near silent. "You're the cute subway boy- Uh! I mean, hi! I'm- I'm Y/N." You tried to suppress the feeling of nervousness and greeted him back the second your brain urged you too.

"Hi Y/N," Peter laughed lightly, nervously rubbing the back of his head. The sound of his laugh travelled right through you and to your stomach, making butterflies suddenly erupt. "I was wondering...since I've kinda been watching you— not in a creepy way, I promise!" You bit your cheek to keep from laughing at the panicked look on his face. "Um, I just wanted to ask, do you want to- would you want to walk to school together?"

You had no excuse for the grin that appeared on your face, you didn't need one. You sighed happily at the sight of relief on the boys face. "Yeah. Yeah, I would love to, Peter."

"Great," He sighed too. "That's great."

You met his eyes, and for the first time, neither of you looked away. It was a moment that the both of you would remember forever. It didn't seem like the two of you were on a moving subway surrounded by a bunch of strangers; Peter had only seen you, and you had only seen him.

It seemed so surrealistic more than anything else. Only in fairytales did people feel like this, experience such strong feelings for someone they hadn't met, just know that this was the person you were looking for. The one person that would make you feel complete.

And you met him on the subway of all places.

"Peter?" You asked him softly. You had ended the moment, but only in attempts to create another.

"Yeah?" The smiles hadn't left either of your faces.

"Mind helping me?" You laughed. The second before, you had felt your binder slipping out of your hands, but you were too preoccupied to fix it, and when you had asked for help was when the contents inside decided to slip out.

Laughing, the two of you gathered your work quickly, and you stashed it away in your backpack, and then got lost in conversation. So lost, that you had almost missed your stop.

You knew the both of you had walked slower than you normally did to school from the station. Speaking to Peter was the easiest you had ever spoke to anyone.The words flew effortlessly out of your mouth.

He was so easy going, and funny, and so smart. Before you had reached the front doors of the school, he had gone off on a tangent about his theory as to why the multiverse exists, and when he noticed he was talking a lot, you found it adorable how his cheeks and ears turned a light shade of pink, first from feeling like he had talked too much, but then getting flustered when he realized how intently you had been listening.

You could sit and listen to him talk about anything without getting bored. Everything about him mesmerized you, from the way he expresses his words through his hands to how he scrunches up his face in frustration when he couldn't remember a word he wanted to use.

You had mutually stopped walking after the both of you realized neither of you knew where the other's locker was, and they only had a couple of minutes before first bell rang.

"I um, I'll see you later?" All of a sudden, things got awkward between you two. When usually it was the opposite for you, it being awkward to start a conversation, with Peter, neither of you knew how to end it.

"Y-yeah." You nodded, and Peter had taken a clumsy step backwards.

After another moment of silence, the both of you had turned your separate ways, but it wasn't long before you heard Peter's voice calling you back.

"Y/N?"

"Peter?" Maybe you had turned around a little too quickly, but you didn't care.

"Would you- do you want to sit with me at lunch instead of alone? The days you come to lunch anyway. I know you don't stay in the cafeteria most days, I'm assuming you go to the library, because I never see you without a book, and we just talked about how much you love to read, and oh my god, I'm so sorry, I must sound so much like a stalker right now, and—"

"You're fine, Peter," You interrupted him with a light laugh. His face was turning pink again.

"I'm just saying, you- you're always welcome to sit with me. Only two other people sit at the table. My best friend Ned, he's pretty cool, and another girl, Michelle. She sits with us, but doesn't sit with us? You'll see. I think you'll like her." He held tightly onto his book bag straps. "I figured it would be better than sitting alone. Plus, I-I would really like it if, if you sat with me?"

You grinned, a sweet smile on your lips. "I'll see you at lunch,"

"Really?" You could visibly see his entire face light up. "You aren't going to the library?"

"I don't have to go everyday."

Yet again, he mirrored my face. "I'll see you at lunch then," He started walking backwards. "There's still so much I want to talk to you about."

"See you later Peter," You both turned around and started walking away, but you heard his voice call from behind you.

"Like how I really like that nickname!"

You shook your head in disbelief, looking behind you, you saw Peter grinning in your direction, and despite the heat you felt in your cheeks, you grinned back.

It was your own amazing cute subway fairytale.


	3. An Unlikely Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your head snapped to your window when a loud thunk shook your bedroom. It sounded like something collided with the side of the apartment building. Slowly, you got up and creeped to the window. 
> 
> You had to stifle a scream when you saw a red gloved hand grasp onto the railing of the fire escape. And the another. You watched in shock and curiosity as Queen's very own superhero, Spider-Man slowly pulled himself onto the fire escape right before your very eyes.

"X has to be 12." You sighed, circling your answer and letting your pencil fall to your desk. You had done the problem four different times and you were sure you were right this time. You groaned when the pencil rolled off your textbook and onto the floor. You tried to reach for it, but ultimately slumped your head onto the desk, your groan of annoyance turning into a groan of exhaustion. 

You had been studying for almost eight hours straight, only have taken a break to use that bathroom after downing two cups of tea and one of coffee. You hated Midtown for having a test nearly every week for at least one class, but you knew what you were getting into when you willingly transferred high schools.

"Accio pencil," You mumbled, knowing that you had to get at least three more problems done before you could call it a night. It was really late. "That never works."

Conjuring up a new wave of fake energy, you leaned down to retrieve your pencil that had rolled under your desk chair and sat up, straightening your pack and pushing your hair behind your ear.

Telling yourself that you'd have time to crash in study hall in he morning with MJ watching your back, you willed yourself to put your pencil back to the paper and forced yourself to continue.

But of course you were interrupted.

Your head snapped to your window when a loud thunk shook your bedroom. It sounded like something collided with the side of the apartment building. Slowly, you got up and creeped to the window.

You had to stifle a scream when you saw a red gloved hand grasp onto the railing of the fire escape. And the another. You watched in shock and curiosity as Queen's very own superhero, Spider-Man slowly pulled himself onto the fire escape right before your very eyes.

It didn't take long to snap out of your trance when you noticed his suit; the darker shade of red that had to be blood and dark dirt staining it. Spider-Man was hurt.

Gathering the courage and energy, you rushed the remaining steps to the window and flung it open.

"Are you—" Your words came out shakily and breathlessly and you cleared our throat and tried again. "Are you okay?"

You watched as Spider-Man's body twitched with surprise, and then he slowly shook his head, taking deep and heavy breaths. "Never been better," He let out a strangled laugh, and it brought a smile to your face as you realized that the webslinger would rather make jokes when he was obviously in pain.

"Uh- if you want to come in, I-I have a first aid kit. If you have any cuts or anything?"

"Please," Spider-Man started to sit up, and you noticed how his arm went straight to his side, clutching it as he moved closer to the open window. When he got close enough for you to grab him, you did, and helped guide him through your bedroom window, supporting him as they moved to your bed, the closest surface that he could sit on.

"I'll l be right back." You said quickly, jumping up and slowly pulling open the front door just enough for you to slip out before shutting it behind you and you darted to the kitchen.

Grabbing a ziploc bag, you filled it up with ice from the freezer before tiptoeing across the apartment to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit from the cabinet before bringing the supplies back to your room where _Spider-Man_ was.

The eyes on his mask opened a little when Spider-Man noticed you had come back. In the short time you'd been gone, he had slowly slipped into a laying position on your bed, it being hard for him to stay sitting up.

"Sorry," He said softly, apologizing for lying down. "It just hurts."

"I don't care, had to change the sheets anyway," You said, eyeing the blood dripping onto your bed sheets and frowning a little. "But I'm sorry to say that you have to sit up again."

"Yeah." He nodded, beginning to use his arm that wasn't holding onto his side to sit himself up but you saw his struggled and slowly helped him. "Thanks," He said a little shyly, and you had a feeling that that wouldn't be the last time you'd be hearing that word from him that night.

"All right, I have some ibuprofen and ice. And whenever you're ready, I can look at your side." You said, a little more calmly and confidently than you thought you would. You definitely didn't feel as calm as you seemed.

"Just for the record," Spidey started. "This is the only good hit the other guys got." He said in a convincing tone.

"We'll see," You stated, small smile fleeting across your face, and opening the kit and grabbing the alcohol and bandages.

Without you asking, Spider-Man tapped on the spider emblem on his chest and you watched as the suit expanded and fall to his waist.

"Woah!" You gasped, and not for the reason Spider-Man would've thought. You pickled up the fabric and pulled it closer to you, trying to get a good look. "What is this made of? It feels like spandex, but it's obviously not fully made of it, way more durable. Maybe a flexible kevlar compound? Vibranium infused in kevlar? That'd be cool, but if you got hurt, I don't think that's the case.

"It doesn't look like any type of nanotechnology, I've been trying to figure that out lately, but there is _something_ that keeps your suit from getting torn to shreds. Otherwise, in your line of work, you would have to constantly—" A grin was on your face without you even knowingas you stopped yourself from continuing, not even remembering until that moment about why the person in front of you was in front of you.

"Oh!" You felt your face heat up and your cheeks flushed a light pink when your gaze fell back to his face, the white eyes of his mask wide from amusement, head tilted slightly to the side in surprise. "Sorry, I just got...excited."

He knew you couldn't see the smile that was on his face, but in that moment, he wished you had so you could see just how fine it was. Also during your little tangent, he had realized that he had known you. Not personally, but he—Peter Parker—had seen you in the halls of Midtown Tech.

"You don't have to apologize!" Spider-Man said as soon as he could. "You're the first person I've met that's actually ever asked about my suit. It's surprising, you sound like you know more about it than I do." He let out a laugh, but it was immediately cut short by him wincing in pain.

"Right!" You closed your eyes and shook your head, pushing away the thoughts and guesses about his suit and coming back to the unrealistic real life moment. "Your side, sorry,"

You hoped Spider-Man didn't notice your cheeks flush a deeper red as you forced yourself not to stare at his chest, and kept your eyes on the easily four inch gash a little below his rib cage.

Immediately getting a small wince of sympathy out of the way, you made quick work to grab the towel out of the kit and doused with with the rubbing alcohol. "This is going to hurt. Most likely a lot." You warned him, motioning for him to lean back a little so you could get a better look as you worked, and angling your desk lamp towards the two of you.

"You seem like- ow!" He started to speak, but was cut off by the stinging sensation as you washed his wound with the towel.

"Sorry!" You quickly apologized. "Um, this is going to need stitches." You tell him as you finish up cleaning the blood to the best of your ability so you can get a better look.

"I was going to say you look like you know what you're doing," Spider-Man said in response to your last statement.

"My mom's a doctor," You shrugged. "I helped her study for school and helped her with cases during her residency. With the knowledge I have, I could easily pass medical school if engineering doesn't work out." You tell him as you twist around to grab the surgical needle and wire from the first aid kit. "I hope you trust me enough to do this?"

"By all means," Spider-Man leaned back a little more to make his skin more taut for you to work better. "You're already doing better than I would've."

"Don't scream please."

"I'll try not t-!" He grimaced under the mask, the initial pain of his skin being pierced and pulled back together surprised him and he jumped.

"I should've warned you, that's my fault," You said quickly and apologetically, pushing your hair back the best you can without using your hand to keep it sterile, leaning closer and continued. "It should get better from here."

"It's all good," He breathed, closing his eyes and trying to focus on something else. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Cramming for a test tomorrow," you answer.

Spidey nodded. "I hope you're not too tired. You're operating on me right now."

"Nah, I'm definitely awake now, I'm patching up a superhero on my bed. But I'm all done anyway." You said, pulling the wire through his skin one last time and tugging it tight, making sure it would stay before grabbing the scissors, cutting the wire, and tying it off.

"That didn't hurt that much."

"You much have a high pain tolerance or something, that would make sense, because I had to have stitches in almost the same spot and I remember it hurting like hell."

"I mean, I can catch trucks, so I guess so,"

"Okay, no need to be cocky," You smiled and shook your head as you put on a bandage and started putting your supplies away. "You should take that medicine. It'll help with any pain you still have." You quickly searched the rest of his upper body for anything else that needed taking care of before tucking away the kit under your bed.

"Doing that right now. Do you have anything to drink?"

You nodded your head and grabbed an unopened water bottle from your desk and handed it to him as he opened the pill bottle and took two pills out. You handed the water to him as he lifted up the bottom of his mask enough to take he pills and drink.

"You should probably drink the rest as well. You probably need the fluids after whatever fight you just had. What did happen? If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't." Spider-Man said, sitting up again, untucking the parts of his suit that got stuck under him and leaning a bit closer to the girl. "This group of thugs cornered a guy on the street. They had knives, and just when I thought I had all of them, another came out and got my side. The guy I saved called the police, and I stumbled away. Then obviously, I collapsed on your fire because I was in pain."

"Maybe you should upgrade your suit. If knives can go through, bullets definitely will." You told him. "Have you thought about the possibility of the guy you saved being a murderer, and the group was undercover FBI agents or something to apprehend him and you let him go?" You mumbled without thinking.

"Wait, what?" Spider-Man blinked in confusion before he realized that it was just a random thought. "Oh, you aren't serious," he chuckled.

"I'm tired. What'd you expect?" You laughed.

"You said you weren't tired,"

"That was when adrenaline was coursing through me and keeping me awake. Now, can you put your suit back on please?"

"What?" You could basically see the grin he wore under his mask from his voice. "Don't like what you see?" Spider-Man teased, confidence coming back now that he was feeling better.

"Shut up, man," you scoffed, standing up from your bed and using the dirty towel to soak up the melted ice that he didn't even touch.

"Thank you." You heard him say as the hiss of his suit forming back to his body filled the room. "I feel a lot better."

"My pleasure. It's not every day I get to fix up a superhero."

"You never know, I might stop by every once in a while, now that I know that there's someone willing to help me."

You had to stop yourself from blushing again and shrugged your shoulders. "I'll be here. Just don't come to me with any life threatening wounds. I can not have the weight on me if I'm responsible for killing Spider-Man. I'd freak out like Neville did when he thought he killed Harry."

"No promises." You heard the lightness in his voice and smiled. "I'm trying to figure out how to repay you. Surely I can't let you go with nothing after saving my life."

"I didn't save your life, you would've been fine without me." You said shyly. "I don't need anything from you."

"You sure? Because I insist, if there's anything I can do," 

"I'm sure." You paused. "Actually,"

"What?"

"If you're feeling up to it, help me make my bed? You made it dirty and I'm exhausted."

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." Already feeling better, the pain in his side subsided majorly, he stood up with only little trouble and started to strip her mattress while you grabbed new sheets and a blanket from your closet. "Thank you. Again." He said for the fifth time after making the bed.

"You are really starting to overuse that word. I swear, stop." You shook your head once again.

"I mean it though. It was nice of you to help me, and it did help that—" He stopped himself from finishing his sentence before he put himself in an awkward situation, blushing under his mask.

"Help what?"

"Nothing." He replied quickly, right hand shooting us to rub the back of his neck. "Damn, it's getting really late. I-I should go, so you could get some sleep for school."

"Oh," You felt the disappointment hit her. She hadn't realized how much she he wasn't ready to have him leave, knowing that she'd probably never see him again. "Yeah, I should get some sleep. You should too. School tomorrow." She bounced on her heels.

"School? I uh—"

"You just sound like you go. Or to work, I dunno. Your voice is just a little on the young side, that's all I'm saying."

"R-right. Yeah." He started to walk backwards, still facing you, towards the window. "Um, what's your name?"

"Y/N. My name's Y/N."

"Well Y/N, thank you. For the last time today, I swear!" He laughed. "I'll see you soon."

"Oh really?"

"Maybe."

There was a comfortable silence shared between the two of them and you smiled at each other, even though you couldn't see Spider-Man's. "Take it easy for a while. Don't want your stitches coming undone."

"I heal pretty fast, so I think I'll be okay. But if they do, I can come back, right?"

"I suppose, but I swear, if you're back tomorrow because your stitches ripped,"

"You swear what?" He dared her, a devilish tone in his voice.

"Go home, Spidey,"

"Good luck on that test."

You watched as Spider-Man climbed back onto the fire escape and jumped off, swinging from building to building. You walked back to your bed and collapsed, falling asleep almost the moment you closed your eyes.


	4. Be Careful With Secrets- Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You promised yourself years ago you would never fall in love with one of your best friends. There were too many risks if he found out. It could make your friendship weird, or the two of you could stop being friends altogether. You didn't want that to happen, Peter was your best friend and you didn't want to lose him. And you refused to break your promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the title states, it’s a two parter.
> 
> This is the more “boring” chapter of the two, but don’t worry, the conclusion is better. 
> 
> The reader does have a cousin named Oliver, but I left the sisters name for you to choose.

  
"It's beautiful today!" You heard your cousin exclaim while he took a deep breath. The two of you were walking through a park, which luckily for you, was pretty deserted. "The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the breeze is refreshing, all you have to do is invite a certain someone over here because it's a perfect day to finally admit—"

"No." You cut Oliver off quickly. "I am not telling Peter about the stupid crush I have on him." Your smile from just seconds before quickly faded and turned into a glare. "Stop trying. I told you already I'm never telling him."

This was something your cousin always did, ever since he figured out about the crush in the first place. It wasn't like you were head over heels in love with Peter, you refused to let that happen. But you were at the stage where he would randomly appear in your thoughts, smiling, and every single stupid little thing he did was cute to you.

It disgusted you. You promised yourself years ago you would never fall in love with one of your best friends. There were too many risks if he found out. It could make your friendship weird, or the two of you could stop being friends altogether. You didn't want that to happen, Peter was your best friend and you didn't want to lose him. And you refused to break your promise.

Oliver only figured it out because it was when the crush first appeared, and you were still trying to get a lid on it. You and Peter were talking on the phone, and when he asked who you were talking too and why you had a giant smile on your face, there was no mistaking it.

That was a almost a year ago, and since then, you successfully stopped it from growing any more, and you even believed that it was finally going away. Thankfully.

"Why though?" Oliver groaned. Ever since he moved to New York and started going to Midtown Tech with you, he made it a personal goal to insert himself into your personal life as much as he could for no real reason. "It's so plain to see that Peter likes you too! Just tell him, and you can get your happily ever after!"

"You're crazy," You scoffed. "Peter doesn't like me like that, and my happily ever after consists of getting an engineering internship like him that will hopefully lead to a job out of college."

"Come on! We're only 16! Live a little y/n/n! We have time to worry about our future later!" He jumped in front of you, grabbing your hand to stop you from walking away without him. "You have the perfect opportunity to get the boyfriend of your dreams— no trying to convince me otherwise that Peter's perfect for you— and you're going to regret it when you don't do anything and he moves on!" He tugged on your hand, making you look at him.

"I have too much on my plate to deal with things like that. Like, getting good grades, and making things less stressful for Mom; and that includes not having her worry about me getting a boyfriend as well as taking care of y/s/n when she's at work." You tell him as the both of you started walking again. "You know that even if I planned on getting a boyfriend anytime soon, it wouldn't be my best friend," You then grumbled.

"Right. So if you and Peter weren't friends, you would probably be dating him, that's what you're saying?"

"What? No!" You shook your head.

"I'm really getting sick of you pretending to not feel anything but friendship for him, and Peter being so very obviously totally in love with you."

"He's not! Okay?" You huffed. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." You shut the conversation down. "I'm going home," Oliver frowned.

"You go home, and I'm going to take matters into my own hands."

"You do that," You laughed, walking the trail towards the exit, leaving your cousin in the park alone behind you. He only lived a block away anyway.

Oliver waited until until you were out of earshot before taking out his phone, pulling up Ned's contact information.

"Hey, Ned? Yeah, it's Oliver," He stared at the back of your head as you walked away with a smile on his face. "I need to tell you something, but you've got to keep it a secret."

"You have a crush on Peter?" Ned suddenly appearing in front of you in the library took you by surprise, and his excited voice making you jump before your eyes widened, realizing what he just said.

"What. The. Hell. Oliver told you, didn't he?" You asked him angrily. "That little—"

"Don't get mad at him! He explained everything to me!" Ned held his hands out in defense.

"Oh yeah? What'd he tell you?" You leaned forward across the table. The library was a perfect ambush; you couldn't raise your voice.

"That you've had a crush on Peter since last year, and that you're too stubborn to tell him,"

"Ah, yeah," You leaned back, a smile of anger on your face. "I'm not stubborn, I'm not ever going to tell Peter, and you better not tell him either."

"Why not though y/n?" He whined, which was a little confusing to you.

"Because I don't want too! I told myself I wouldn't ever fall for one of my friends, and I'm not in love yet, so by my terms, I'm winning. And I want to keep it that way. Telling Peter would only lead to disaster. I don't want to lose him."

"But y/n! Peter—"

"I don't want to hear it Ned, I've heard so many attempts from Oliver to try and get me to tell him, I've basically heard them all. The only thing that would get me to change my mind would be. . ." You shrugged your shoulders and shook your head as you tried to think of some crazy thing that would never happen. "Would be the day I find out that Peter is Spider-Man or something."

You laughed, proud of yourself for coming up with that one, not yet noticing Ned bouncing in his seat and his hand rapidly thumping on the table. When you looked over, a look of concern appeared on your face.

"You all right dude?" You asked him, and pulled back a little when the boy across from you started to squeal. "What the hell?"

"Y/n! Y/n, Peter is Spider-Man!" He said quickly in both a harsh and secretive whisper, glancing over at the other people in the library, the closest person three tables away.

"What?" you laughed. "No he's not. You're insane, Ned—"

"No! I'm so serious!" He started grinning. "What- what do you think the Stark Internship is? Why he's so busy all the time? Uh, what else? Um, that Monday last June where he came in with a black eye after coming back from his 'internship retreat'? That was because he got punched in the face by Captain America! In Germany! He fought the Avengers!"

"You're kidding," Your face hardened, eyebrows furrowed down but you hadn't decided from anger or not yet.

"I can prove it! Wait!" Ned reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, scrolling through his messages. "Here! Look!" He shoved his phone across the table to you. "That's from a couple weeks ago, and if you scroll down, you'll keep seeing other conversations about his nights on patrol!"

Reaching for Ned's phone, your eyes scanned the screen, scrolling down and reading, believing him the more you kept going. You stopped though, and stared at the phone when you read a conversation between the two of them, Ned asking if Peter rethought about telling you, but Peter just replied with "I can't tell y/n, you know that.", and you clicked the power button, putting Ned's phone back down and staring up at the anxiously excited boy.

"Peter's Spider-Man," You agreed, voice a barely audible whisper as the puzzle pieces as well as this new information all came together.

"So you're going to tell him?" Ned stood up when you did, following you as you walked out of the library with your things, the bell ringing and you started to head to your next period class.

"Yeah, no," You flipped around and faced Ned. "But we need to talk; he didn't want to tell me? Do you know anything about why?"

"Uh, no?" Ned admitted apologetically. "He just always said that he couldn't tell you and he doesn't plan on ever telling you— y/n, where are you going?"

"I'm going to class." 

"Wait! You have English with Peter, don't you?"

"So?"

"So, you're really mad!" He sped up his pace to match yours. "You can't tell him you know he's Spider-Man!"

"Why not? It's not like it was a secret or anything," Ned continued to follow you. "No, I'm not going tell him I know in the middle of class."

"Okay. That's good." Ned sighed, relieved. "Wait, then what are you going to do?"

You didn't answer, turning into your ninth period class, and Ned stopped at the doorway. A minute later, Peter came down the hall.

"Hey Ned," he said, a little confused. His class was on the other side of the building. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, dude," Ned told him before rushing off so he wouldn't be late.

"What?" But Peter just shook his head and walked into class, grinning at you when he saw sitting down at the back of the class, but his grin disappeared when he saw you ignore him. "Hey," he said to you as he slipped into the desk next to you.

You said nothing, staring straight ahead and tapping your pencil on your desk as a way to get your frustration out.

"Y/n?" He asked, craning his neck to get a better look at your face. "Are you okay?"

You knew if you opened your mouth right now, everything was going to come out. You needed to wait until you were alone. Or alone-ish.

Luckily for you, the second bell rang, and your English teacher was a stickler for not wasting any work time, giving the class directions right away.

You could tell Peter wanted to talk to you, but the aura you were emitting kept him from doing so. Anyone could take a look at you, and tell you were mad. Just from one look.

You worked silently and felt terrible that the two of you said nothing the entire class, especially because the two of you were partners for the current project you were doing.

You both were on the same document, and could see what the other was typing as you both edited, and it didn't take long for Peter to create a new page and write in bold.

**Are you okay?**   
  


You just erased his message and the page, which made the boy frown. But he wasn't giving up that easily, hijacking your next sentence on the project and asking another question.

**You're mad. Why?**

You erased it again, huffing a little.

**Are you mad at me?**

You stared a little longer at the question, thinking about answering it, Peter having hitting the nail right on the head.

**Yes**.

You replied, watching in real time as Peter started to freak out next to you before erasing both messages. 

By then, Peter knew you were just going to delete anything he wrote that wasn't project related, so he spoke to you in a low whisper.

"What-what did I do? Why are you mad at me?" He asked nervously. Peter was trying to think of anything he might've done to upset you, but couldn't think of anything. "Y/n, talk to me!"

"Not here," you glanced over at him, and wished you hadn't. His eyes were wide with desperation, and his jaw was doing the thing you hated because it only made you think of how attractive he was. Sighing, you turned your head back to the laptop in front of you.

"But what- what did I do?"

"Peter, I said later!" You could feel the anger that had subsided some from the silence rise up, and you needed to take a breather. "Can you meet me at my place afterschool? I'll leave the door unlocked." 

"How later?" He asked, shrinking into his seat, and you can he felt bad for what he was about to say. "I uh, I have the Stark internship today, and usually I get out pretty late—"

You had your eyes shut as your head fell into your hands, a groan falling from your lips, cutting him off. "Whenever you can show up, if you even can. Mom's out all night, it'll only be me and y/s/n." 

"O-okay." The two of you went silent again, and that's how you stayed for the rest of the class.

You were trying to keep your cool in class. The fact that Peter said that he would show up late, because he was going to be out as Spider-Man, to the conversation about him being Spider-Man. Even though he didn't know yet that you knew, it was still irritating.

When the final bell of the day rang, you got out of your seat, and left the class without Peter instead of waiting for him like you normally did because your lockers were right next to each others if you ignored the five in between.

You walked to Midtown Elementary School and quickly found your sister, who was waiting not so patiently for you on the front steps.

"Hey!" She called to you as you walked closer, meeting you. "You got here early," she remarked. In fact you had got there a couple minutes before you usually do, because when you're angry, you speed walked like Megamind disguised as Bernard.

"Let's go," you told her. You really didn't want to deal with her asking to stop somewhere to get food, the options usually being Delmars or the taco stand down the street from where you lived.

"Oo you're angry," she chirped, skipping next to you as you started walking home. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Liar. Tell me."

"It's none of your buisness, y/s/n!"

"If you're going to be pissed for the rest of the day, I'm going to have to deal with that, so, yeah it is." Sometimes you hated your sister for growing up and sarcasm and attitude becoming her best friends.

"You know what? I'm not even going to say anything to that." You grabbed onto your bookbag straps and pulled on them.

"Did you tell Peter about your crush?"

"Shut up!" You groaned, a little too loudly because other people on the sidewalk glanced sideways at you. "I'm so sick of people talking about that today."

"Hold on, am I right?"

"No." You gritted.

"But it is about Peter," she grinned. "What'd you do? What'd he do? Should I expect plugging my ears later to ignore an angry phone call?"

"An angry conversation," you glanced down at your sister. "If he even shows up,"

"Holy—" you glared at her. "Hera. He's coming over? But Mom's not home and you know the rules!"

"It's Peter." You rolled your eyes. "It's not like we're throwing a party. Besides, you're going to keep your mouth shut."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I got enough money for you to grab something to eat every day afterschool for the next week, and if food isn't enough, I have some information I know you wouldn't like leaked."

"Blackmailing a ten year old? How sisterly of you."

"I know, right?" You smiled a little, knowing that the food would suffice and she would call your bluff. You did have some dirt on your sister, but you wouldn't tell your mom. That would just end with y/s/n telling her about Peter and that's what you were trying to avoid. "You got homework, right?"

"No, actually. It's Friday."

"Yeah, I forgot how easy you have it," you grumbled. "I want you in your room with your music up. No eavesdropping." You warned her. "There's stuff you're not allowed to hear that we're going to talk about."

"What are you, planning an illegal rave or something?"

"Right. I'm mad at Peter, and out of that comes plans for an illegal rave." You nodded your head. "No."

"By "not allowed to hear", do you mean you guys are going to mess up your bed sheets?" You pushed your sister.

"Why the hell are you less innocent than I am? That's disgusting."

"Dude, you're the one who thought of that." Y/s/n laughed, cutting in front of you as you walked up the front steps to your apartment.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. Just promise me you won't listen?"

"Because you're mad, I promise." She turned around and crossed her heart before bounding up the stairs. You sighed before starting the trek up the five floor walk up.


	5. Be Careful With Secrets- Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter stayed silent for a minute. He hated the look of hurt he saw on your face, he'd never seen you that hurt and angry, and it was because of him. You knew now, there was really nothing to stop him from telling you now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's part two. 
> 
> Looking back and reposting these old chapters made me realize just how much cringe my writing was. 
> 
> Huh.
> 
> It gets better, I swear.

You heard a knock on your door at 7:30. Four and a half hours after you had gotten home from school.

Between your sister being annoying, and cooking dinner, and doing homework, you were about to just not even care if Peter came anymore. When you heard him knock, you were locking the door.

Unlocking the bolt, you opened the door to reveal a very exhausted looking Peter, breathing heavily, which you would normally chalk up to the stairs, but now you had other reasons.

Y/s/n's head shot up from where she was playing on her phone, and she stood up, heading to her room. "That's my cue," She said before shutting the door.

"Hey," Peter said softly and you just turned around, walking to your room.

"Close the door." You told him, and a moment later, the both of you were standing in your tension filled bedroom.

Neither of you knew how to start the conversation. You had so many things you wanted to say, so many thoughts that were screaming in your head wanting to be talked about. But what you did know, was that you wanted to give Peter one last chance to come clean.

"I know you're keeping a secret from me," you flat out said once you heard your sisters music faintly playing from her room.

"W-what?" Peter stopped fidgeting where he was standing.

"Please stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. Just tell me. I'm giving you one last chance to come clean right now."

"Uh, a-a secret—"

"Peter," You warned.

"It was me!" He blurted, a guilty look on his face.

"What was you?"

"I was the one who stole your Pokémon Black game last year."

Your face went blank for a moment. "Uh, that's not what I was talking about, but now that I know, I want it back."

"I lost it," he admitted, and you glared at him.

"Then you owe me twenty bucks or whatever." You groaned.

"If that's not what you're talking about, then what is it— oh. Did you find out about the movie nights me and Ned have without you?"

"What?" You gasped, and Peter avoided your wide eyes. "I didn't know about that either! How many more of these do you have?"

"O-only one more," He sighed out nervously, his voice squeaking, which usually only happened when he was lying. "We'replanningongettingyouticketstoseeTheLastJediintheatersforyourbirthday," He spoke quickly, still trying to keep that a secret, because that was your birthday gift.

"I- no. Not that either—"

"I'm in love with you!" Peter shouted abruptly. "Th-there! I said it. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was terrified that you wouldn't feel the same way. I didn't think you would get _mad_ at me for it." Then he paused a moment, looking at your shocked expression. "Which part are you mad at me for?" He asked after you didn't say anything. You were momentarily stunned. "The loving you part, or the keeping it from you part?"

You released the breath you weren't aware you were holding, your eyes wide as you were staring at the boy in front of you. That wasn't the secret you were talking about either.

"Peter," You started quietly , and he thought the worst was about to come. "I-I know you're Spider-Man," Your expression softened.

"Wh-what?" He took a step back. "You do? H-how?" And you felt your anger battle it's way to the top again.

"Ned," You stepped forward, getting closer. "You told Ned, and not me?" You scoffed, cutting off what he was about to say. "What the hell, Peter? You're Spider-Man!" 

"I didn't tell him, it was an accident," Peter tucked his hands into his pockets just to take them out again and nervously wring them. "He kinda saw me climbing on the ceiling—"

"Peter, I couldn't care less about how he found out right now, and how _I_ found out, and how you've been Spider-Man for over a year now!" You ran your hands over your head, smoothing your hair. "I didn't even find out from you! I found out after making a joke about you having to be Spider-Man before I'd admit my crush on you, and Ned told me the truth." 

"You..." Peter laughed breathlessly. "You like me too?"

"J-just, can we not talk about that right now?" You asked him, holding your face in your hands before looking up at him. You were still processing that he told you he was in love with you. "What I'm getting at here, was that I was making a _joke,_ and the next think I know, Ned's freaking out, telling me you really _are_ Spider-Man. Why?" You shook your head. "Just why hide it from me?" 

Peter stayed silent for a minute. He hated the look of hurt he saw on your face, he'd never seen you that hurt and angry, and it was because of him. You knew now, there was really nothing to stop him from telling you now. 

"You worry so much," He started, ignoring the way his voice wavered. "You put so much on yourself, stuff you can't control, but you blame it on yourself. y/n. You're working so hard already, I didn't want you to be scared about me getting hurt every day," 

"Peter—"

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to blame yourself for not being able to protect me. Even though you're not the one with the superhuman powers here, I _know_ all you would do would be sit here and worry if I was being beat up or not." 

"But," You sat down on your bed. "S-so, you were just going to hide it from me, for how long? Forever?" You tried to blink away the tears you felt forming in your eyes. "Until you died and the world found out? Peter?" 

"You have to understand, y/n—"

"No, I understand," You laughed dryly. "I'm just having a lot of trouble believing and processing that you're Spider-Man, and-and that you...love me? That's a lot of information, Peter."

"I know," You saw him lower his head, and the room went silent, outside and the light sound of Disney music— A Whole New World, playing from your sisters room. 

Waiting a minute longer, Peter cautiously sat down next to you. 

"Are you- are you still mad at me?" 

"I could never stay mad at you," you admitted, shaking your head and taking a deep breath. "I kept myself from falling in love with you, you know," 

"What?" You turned your head to look at Peter. 

"My crush on you? I've had it since last year. When you were still wearing those dorky glasses." You chuckled a little. "But I told myself that I couldn't fall for you."

"Why?" 

"I didn't want to lose you, either, Peter," You sighed out. "Most cases, someone falls in love with their best friend and their friend finds out, the feelings aren't ever requited, and they stop being friends. If they somehow make it through that, their friendship is never the same." Then you laughed. "It ever only works out in fiction."

"But I'm real," You held in a gasp as Peter took your hand, and your eyes stared at your fingers intertwining. "And feel the same about you," 

"You don't really love me, do you?" You asked him. "Because that's a huge deal." 

"I uh, yeah. I do." Peter shut his eyes and smiled. "I honestly don't know how you've never noticed, I thought I was being pretty obvious no matter how hard I tried not to give myself away." 

"I...I don't know either." You rubbed your thumb against the back of his hand and allowed a smile. "I guess I just didn't want to think about that possibility." 

"So what now?" 

"I don't know! I'm still trying to figure out—" 

"Can I kiss you?" The question was soft and hesitant. "I-I completely understand if you don't want me too." 

You blinked and sighed before talking. "I can't and I'm not going to try and talk you out of Spider-Man. Wait, does May know?" 

"Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot to shut the door before I changed into my suit after getting it back, and she saw me. That's an entire story I can tell you later." He shook his head and laughed nervously. 

"I have a feeling that you have a lot of stories you can tell me now. And don't think I'm going to let it drop that you kept a secret from me for this long." 

"Yeah, I do," he nodded. "And I wasn't planning on you letting me off the hook that easily.

You squeezed his hand before finishing your before thought. "Just promise me one thing?" 

"Yeah?" 

"That if this happens, if you kiss me, and we start dating? Promise me I won't regret it." 

Peter kissed you before he answered, his lips surprisingly soft as they moved slowly against yours, and you felt him smile before pulling back. 

"I promise."

"You told Ned I had a crush on Peter!" 

Oliver just laughed as you were waiting to ambush him after he came off the bus the next morning. 

"Oh, he told you? I told him to keep it a secret." He shrugged, but a grin was making it's way onto his face. 

"You know my friends are terrible with secrets," You grumbled, walking next to your cousin as you entered Midtown Tech. "Especially the one who knew Peter liked me back." 

"So _now_ you believe me?" He laughed. "I knew it would work." 

"Knew what would work?" 

"I can see it, you got kissed!" 

"There's no way you can tell by looking at me." You scoffed. 

"No, you're right," Oliver hummed, purposely bumping your shoulder. "No, Peter texted me last night." 

"What?" You exclaimed, stopped walking, and faced your cousin. "He did not!" 

"Want proof?" He laughed, starting the motion to reach for his phone after the two of you reached his locker. "I can show you," 

"No, I'll talk to Peter about it. I can't believe he would do that! I haven't told anyone yet," 

"Hey sweetheart," you heard Peter's voice appear, and you couldn't even turn your body to face him before you felt him behind you, hugging your waist and resting his head on your shoulder. "God, you have no idea how long I've waited to call you that out loud," He sighed contently, closing his eyes, and you glanced at Oliver, who pretended terribly that he was minding his own business but you could see the smirk on his face. 

"I can't believe you told Oliver you kissed me!" You were smiling at the feeling of Peter's arms around you, but you lifted them and turned around to see his guilty face. 

"I thought you knew we were friends!" 

"You mean, 'a person who forcibly put himself into my life who you grew accustomed of and formed a reluctant bond with until you realized he wasn't half bad' friend?" 

"Yeah," Peter shrugged and Oliver rolled his eyes. "I told Ned too," He confessed. 

"Wow." And just if he heard he was being talked about, Ned came running up to the small group. 

"This is amazing guys!" He grinned. "Now y/n knows about Peter and they're dating, and she knows—" 

You cleared your throat and both you and Peter eyed Ned, telling him to stop talking. 

"Right. But still! This is great!" 

"Don't think anything is going to be different," You announced, adjusting the strap on your trapper keeper, a smile making its way onto your face. "Just because me and Peter are dating doesn't mean anything is going to change." 

"N _o_ ," Peter spoke. "Absolutely...nothing...is going...to change." He said after pulling you to him and in between peppering kisses on your face, lastly landing on your lips, the two of you sharing your third kiss, your second being when he left last night, and you quickly realized that PDA was going to be a big thing, not that you minded as long as it was Peter. Although you felt your face heating up.

"Oh, what have I done?" Ned groaned, and Oliver laughed. "At least it's better than yesterday," he sighed, accepting his new future. 

"That was rude," you laughed, pushing Peter away, but he just came back, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and kissing your temple. 

"They're just jealous," He laughed softly. "Come on, we're going to be late to class," The two of you started to walk away, the first warning bell ringing and the hallways clearing out as students went into their first period classes.

"I'm sure you have a way to get us there fast if you really thought so, Spidey," You muttered, making Peter smile. 

You would have to worry less, because you found out that you really couldn't tell what would happen, what the future held. You were sixteen. It was time for you to be to act like you were.

**BONUS SCENE!!**

"You can turn the music down now," You knocked on your sisters door, and after a minute she opened it, eyes innocent until she saw Peter standing behind you, mischief filling them. "Or at least keep the door open and play some of my songs," You sigh. 

"Well that was really quick. Only like ten minutes." A confused look appeared on your face, as well as Peter's.

"What? You don't know what happened in there," You said slowly, not understanding what your sister was talking about just yet. 

"How disappointing." She sighed, a smirk appearing on her face. "Need me to get the laundry detergent out from under the sink?" 

Your eyes widened when you figured it out. "Ugh! Y/s/n, I told you that's not what we were doing!" You groaned, dropping your head into your hands out of embarrassment before you reached for her, but she quickly shut the door. 

"I'll put on Boulevard!" She shouted through the door while locking it, and after a moment you heard Green Day blaring from her room. 

"Um," You turned around at the sound of Peter's voice, your face red. "Is there- am I missing something here?" He chuckled nervously. "What did she think we were doing?" 

"Nothing." You said quickly. "She thought _nothing_." You tried to convince him, pulling his arm away from the door and into the living room. "So, how long do you plan on staying?"


	6. Out At The Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You picked up your pencil and sighed, ready to start doing your homework again when you got a phone call. 
> 
> "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" You answered without looking at the caller ID, erasing your work and preparing to try again. 
> 
> "Uh, what? Orange, you know that," You snorted as you heard Allison's voice on the other end of the line. "Anyway, you need to get over here."
> 
> "To work? Why?" You knitted your eyebrows in confusion. "I don't work Sundays, you know that." 
> 
> "Of course I know that! But you'll regret not getting your cute butt over here!" 
> 
> "I need a good reason to change out of my pajamas and leave the comfort of my Fortress of Solitude, because while I appreciate it, calling me cute isn't going to work." You held your phone up with your shoulder as you reached into your bag of chips. 
> 
> "He's here!" She almost screamed into the phone, and you sat up. 
> 
> "I'm on my way," You told her quickly, a grin appearing on your face as you hung up and called your dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): little LANGuage

"What's the point in working at a movie theater if you're not able to watch the movies?" You heard your co-worker, Allison, complain to you and you chuckled.

"I don't know about why you're complaining," You shrugged. "We can watch them on our days off. Besides, who wouldn't want to work the concession stand when the pros include the ability to snack almost endlessly?"

"We're not supposed to do that," She glared at you and you just shrugged again. "You're not complaining about standing on your feet for hours on end because you're so hopeful about that boy showing up again!" She accused and you smirked.

"So what if I am?" You admitted. "He's cute, and he comes like twice a month with his aunt if there's something good."

"Y/N, that relies so much on chance, is that really the reason you love this job?"

"Yes." You smiled. "Yes it is."

"What happens when he stops showing up?" Allison asked you as the both of you were finishing up cleaning. It was the end of day as well as your shifts. Allison was a little older than you, already in college, but you were still in high school, and only worked on Fridays and Saturdays.

"If he stops showing up, then I'll find this job just as miserable as you do." You sighed, glancing at Allison and she shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"You know," She started, her eyebrows knitting together from confusion. "If you like him so much, why don't you ask him his name? Or tell him yours? Or give him your number or something?"

"Because," You stood up straighter, but your confident face faltered a little as you thought. "I actually don't know why." You shook your head, letting out a breath. "I just want him to ask me," Allison stared blankly at you. "What? I like some stereotypes."

"You're so confusing, Y/N," She laughed and you grinned.

"You know it," You spun around, opened the door put away the broom and grabbed your coat from the small closet and clocking out before shutting the door and glancing back at Allison at the counters. "Alright, I'm gonna head out, good night," You told her, putting on your coat to shield you from the falling snow and cold outside.

"You really shouldn't walk alone at night!" She called to you after saying goodbye and you were walking away.

"I'll be fine! You know that!" You called back. "See you later!"

Leaving the mall, you started your walk home. Sure, it was dark and cold and you were walking alone, but you only had to make it to the bus stop and the majority of the travel was done for you. Besides, you had multiple ways to defend yourself if anything ever happened. You just liked to not think about that possibility.

Grabbing the apartment keys from your pocket, you entered your apartment and switched on the lights, locking the door behind you. Your parents were still gone, and wouldn't be home until later, so you grabbed a quick snack before shooting them a text saying you got home safe and then headed to bed. You had work tomorrow, and then Sunday off to get any remaining homework done and have time to relax before the school week started.

"Ah, fuck this," you groaned, slamming your homework down on your desk. You had been doing the same problem, your last problem, for an hour now. No matter how many times you tried, the check would always give you a different answer, which meant you were still wrong somehow, and you were pretty fed up.

Yawning, even though it was only eleven in the morning, you rolled in your chair across the room, stopping to spin a couple of times before you scooted to the window. Pushing aside your curtains, you peered out into the streets, but saw nothing suspicious.

Lately, it had felt like someone has been watching you, every once in a while, not often. It was only for seconds at a time, which, while you did think was creepy if someone really was watching you, a little confusing. Although, this was the first time you had ever felt like this at your house. Normally, it would only be while you were outside, walking to the bus stop after school or work.

You pushed away the thought of a stalker with a small frown. Usually your gut feelings were pretty spot on, and you just thought you were being paranoid. But being paranoid was better than not caring at all and getting kidnapped one day.

"Y/N?" A knock on your bedroom door pulled you from your thoughts.

"Yeah?" You asked, kicking off the wall and rolled you and your chair to the door, opening it to reveal your father. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you that my boss called me in, and I have to go to work," He said sadly. "Me and your mother won't be home until late,"

"You gotta admit it to yourself one day that Mom's your boss you know," You snickered sing-song-ingly. Ever since she got promoted, your dad has had some trouble saying out loud that he has to take orders from your mother not only at home but at work too now.

"Shut up," He smiled down at you, tossing you a bag of chips. "It's an apology gift. Enjoy."

"I. Will." You grinned, already opening the bag. "See you later Dad,"

"Don't stay up too late. School tomorrow." He warned.

"No promises!" You called back, and when you heard the front door shut, you closed your bedroom door and rolled back to your desk, popping a chip into your mouth and placing the bag on the surface.

You picked up your pencil and sighed, ready to start doing your homework again when you got a phone call.

"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" You answered without looking at the caller ID, erasing your work and preparing to try again.

"Uh, what? Orange, you know that," You snorted as you heard Allison's voice on the other end of the line. "Anyway, you need to get over here."

"To work? Why?" You knitted your eyebrows in confusion. "I don't work Sundays, you know that."

"Of course I know that! But you'll regret not getting your cute butt over here!"

"I need a good reason to change out of my pajamas and leave the comfort of my Fortress of Solitude, because while I appreciate it, calling me cute isn't going to work." You held your phone up with your shoulder as you reached into your bag of chips.

"He's here!" She almost screamed into the phone, and you sat up.

"I'm on my way," You told her quickly, a grin appearing on your face as you hung up and called your dad.

"I haven't even left yet and you missed me already? Oh, how my spawn loves me,"

"You haven't left yet? Great! Hold on a sec, I need to go to work too! Wait for me please! Thank you!" You hung up before he could protest, scrambling around your room to find your uniform and pulled on your shoes, grabbing your coat and you almost forgot to lock the door as you flew down the stairs.

  
  


"You know," You panted heavily as you ran to the back room of the concession stand, meeting Allison. "If you led with that, I would've been here like two minutes earlier."

"Wow," She laughed, grabbing your coat. "You really do like him,"

"Well, duh," You scoffed. "Why else would I be here?"

"You're lucky he's waiting for you."

You blinked. "What?"

"Dude, he's been hanging around, but not actually getting in line. I think he's trying to see if you're here so you better get out there now because I'm not sure how much longer he'll stay. The movie's already started."

You were a little shocked, only managing to flash a grin at Allison before heading out to where the lines were. You made a mental note to thank her for being your wingman later.

You took Allison's register, ignoring the confused glance from Todd, who's never seen you before because you've always had opposite shifts, and searched the crowd of people who slowly started to file in line in front of you for those familiar brown locks.

After preparing three peoples orders of popcorn and other snacks, you finally saw him. Or, part of him.

There was a really tall guy standing in front of him, and you could see him trying to look around him to get a glimpse of you, but unfortunately for him, the guy moved exactly the same way unintentionally, continuously blocking his view. You laughed to yourself as you handed the woman in front of her her food. One more down.

When he finally got to the front of the line, you pretended not to see him and the giant grin on his face. Biting your lip, you spoke blankly.

"What can I get you?" You asked as you would ask anyone else, and you saw him shift to his right; trying to catch your eyes and get your attention, not knowing he already had it.

"Uh, two medium Sprites, a pack of Twizzlers, and a small popcorn for me, please,"

You looked up, unable to resist looking at his face any longer. Besides, you wanted to see it.

"Oh, hey, Hot Stuff," You said casually, chuckling softly to yourself as his face turned a light shade of pink. "Fancy seeing you here,"

"Well, my aunt wanted to take me out to celebrate her promotion, and we were overdue for a movie anyway," He answered and you hummed acknowledgingly.

"That'll be $10.56," You told him, glancing into his eyes, which seemed to make him even more flustered. "Be right back."

"I'll be here,"

Grabbing the cups, you filled them up and placed them in the holder before grabbing a medium popcorn bucket and filling it up. You saw Allison staring at you from the side of your eye, and you gave her a quick thumbs up and mouthing a 'thank you' as you put the butter onto the popcorn.

Turning back to the counter, you placed down the popcorn and the drinks, grabbing the Twizzlers and also a pack of M&M's. "So, 10.56, in case you forgot."

"You remembered my favorite," You heard him say and you smiled.

"You're my most loyal customer, not to say my favorite, it's only right," You say to him, and after eyeing the medium popcorn, he looked back at you. You could tell he was still hesitant to pay when he knew he should give you more because of the extra you gave him for free, but he's tried before and you've always rejected with a smirk. You always pay out of your pocket the remainder anyway at the end of your shifts.

"Thank you,"

"You're very welcome." You paused, thinking about what Allison said yesterday, but you decided now wasn't the right time. "I don't normally work Sundays. Just for future thought."

"O-oh. You don't? I thought weekends?"

"Nope." You smiled as you handed him his receipt. "Guess I was lucky I was told to get over here."

"You're lucky? I'm lucky." You heard him, but his voice quieted out of embarrassment.

"I'll see you later?" You asked.

"You bet," He straightened, stuffing the candy into his jacket pocket and picking up the rest with his hands.

You waved goodbye as he turned around and glanced over his shoulder at you one last time, and you sighed. Allison came up behind you as the next person stepped forward.

"Care to do your job again?" You asked her with a laugh and you traded places.

"How'd it go?" She asked in between people.

"It went." You answered, the recent events playing on repeat in your head like the always did every time he showed up.

"So no progress?"

"He's getting there,"

Friday had been a long day for you. Not a very good one either. And the night just dragged on.

You were standing lazily at the concession counter. It sucked that you had to stay there and couldn't leave even when there was no one buying anything.

Allison was in the back, so you couldn't even take a short break until she came back. You hadn't even realized that someone had walked up while you were drawing imaginary circles on the marble.

"Come here often?" The question made your head shoot up, your expression first being defensive, but when you saw who it was, an amused expression replacing it.

"Only all the time." You answered with a grin. "You?"

"You know, this is actually the longest I've ever flirted with anyone, so- so I have no idea how to keep going," He admitted sheepishly and you laughed.

"I'm having a really hard time believing that," You tell him. "And, are you getting anything?"

"No-no actually. And yeah, I'm kinda a geek, you should know. It's not I'm popular enough for people to notice me, especially not girls."

"And I think you should know that you're the hottest geek I've ever seen, and those girls are totally missing out." You winked and a smirk appeared on your face.

"You are," He laughed, running a hand through his hair, and you watched with a smile as his face flushed pink again. "You are so much better at this than me,"

"Tends to help with cute boys," You turned your head, and saw Allison walking out of the back room. She took one look in your direction, quickly seeing the boy across from you, and she smiled and backed up, back into the room. You sighed and shook your head. "If you're not buying anything, then why are you here?" You questioned carefully.

"Oh! Well, I wanted to ask if you wanted to watch a movie?" Your eyes widened and you felt your heart do flips when you realized what he was asking you. "With-with me?"

You smiled, and for the first time the entire time he started showing up and you started these interactions, you were the one blushing. "I dunno," You leaned over the counter, resting on your arms. "I don't even know your name."

"Peter!" he blurted immediately. "My- I'm Peter,"

"Hello, Peter," The both of you laughed. "I'm Y/N,"

"Y/N," Peter repeated, his eyes bright and smile wide. "So, what do you say?"

"I would love to watch a movie with you, Peter." You told him, pushing your hair back.

"Great!" He exclaimed, spinning around and grinning at you. "That's great! Uh- when are you free? When do you get off?"

"Tonight?" You asked.

"I-if that's alright?"

"That's perfect." You nodded your head. "Really. My shift ends at 10:00."

"What's on tonight?" Peter asked himself and he turned around to look at the movie posters around the two of you. "The LEGO Batman Movie? That's just an option, I'll totally get it if you want to watch different one. Aw, that's such a childish movie, why did I pick that—"

"Peter?" You cut him off sweetly.

"Y-yeah?

"I've been wanting to watch The LEGO Batman Movie since I saw the ads, don't worry, I'm childish too." You smiled as he sighed in relief. "We can catch the last movie of the night."

"Perfect." Peter turned his head and the both of you noticed the person walking towards them. "I'll be here at 10:00 exactly," He told you, backing up.

"You do that,"

"I will,"

"I'll see you soon, Peter,"

"See you soon, Y/N," He had a skip in his step as he left, although he kept looking back at you every couple of seconds until he was out of view.

After taking care of that customer, you rushed to the back room and grabbed onto Allison's arms excitedly.

"What happened?" She chuckled, looking at a you because she could obviously tell you were happy.

"I— Peter— ah!" You shook your head and almost squealed out of excitement.

"Please tell me you're going on a date with Peter, now that you know his name."

"I have a date!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t remember if I mentioned it before or not, but I have open requests!
> 
> You can comment a request here, message or comment on my Wattpad account (@geekyemobastard), or message me on my newly —I say that because I forgot I made one a while ago— acquired Tumblr (@weepingmarvellover)
> 
> I have a lot of time to write now, so I might as well spend it wisely.
> 
> Also, chances are I’m going to change my upload schedule from once a week to two-three times a week until I’m caught up.


	7. It’s Only A Word - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You closed your eyes, humming your favorite song loudly in your head to try and tune out their conversation. Opening them, your gaze fell to the leather band you wore around your wrist for a moment before you harshly tore your eyes away, circling your answer for why the moon phases occur. But after a moment, you dropped your pen and fixed the band, making sure they covered the black words inked into your skin and that there was no way it would slip off. It covered the first words your soulmate would ever say to you, and it was the thing that angered you the most in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the title may give away, this is the first part of an eight chapter series and (as upon the date this is published here) it’s the only series I currently have. 
> 
> It’s a soulmate AU where your soulmates words are written on your wrist since birth. Agh, I’m such a sucker for soulmate AU’s!
> 
> Warning(s): always keep one earbud out when walking home, kiddos!

You hadn't realized how annoying people really were until you started high school. You weren't expecting it to be too different from middle school, maybe more gossip, but to your dismay, every conversation not school related revolved someone's soulmates sooner or later. 

Lunch was your least favorite period now, which was a shame because, well, food. Everyone everywhere, all they talked about was _"when do you think I'll meet my soulmate?"_ Or _"I found my soulmate!"_ Frankly, it wasn't just annoying anymore, but somewhat irritating.

You weren't sure how or why no one saw the universal phenomenon of soulmates the way you did, how unfair it was. Every person in the world is mysteriously destined to have someone they'll love for the rest of their life? What happened to the human right to choose? Free will? Why isn't anyone allowed to choose who they were able to fall in love with, instead of being limited to one person in their lifetime or you'll spend your life with alone?

You let out a breath to calm down, staring at your food and stabbing a piece of broccoli with your fork. There was really no place to hide from the buzzing of excited teenagers pining over someone they haven't met yet unless you wanted to eat alone in the bathroom, which at first sounded inviting until you realized just how unsanitary it was.

Honestly, you couldn't blame them for wanting to know their future, you want to know too, it's human nature. But finding love and someone you wanted to spend the rest of your life with was never a top priority to you. Glancing around at your empty table, a surge of relief flew through you. At least you didn't have to second-hand experience one of the conversations between friends you hated so much yourself. It could be worse, you always thought to yourself. Like eating in the bathroom.

"Psst, hey," you heard someone whisper to you, pulling you away from where your head was on your desk and your eyes were closed. Turning your head to see who was talking, you stared blankly at the boy sitting next to you with black hair and green eyes. "Hey, do you know what we're supposed to be doing?" He asked in a whisper after he saw you were listening.

"Read chapter 6 and answer the questions on pages 34 and 37," you answered flatly, rolling your eyes and putting your head back down. This wasn't anything new, people asking you for directions. Over the course of your school career, some people begun to notice that even though it looked like you couldn't care less about class, it really was just that you always finished before anyone else and spent the period doing whatever you wanted. And the people around you always took advantage of that, not paying attention to the teacher until the last minute and then asking you for help. You weren't completely sure why you even answered them, but you did it anyway. Maybe because you liked to tell yourself you weren't a horrible person.

The kid made you lose your current daydream, and you huffed a little. Instead of wasting the period, you decided to pick up your pen and do the nights homework for the class. More time you could spend rewatching a T.V show you've seen hundreds of times already.

"Oh. My. God! Did you hear that Liz found her soulmate in Oregon?" You heard from a girl behind you.

"It had to be fate or something that she moved there." Someone else answered, and you didn't bother to turn around. "Still sucks that her dad's in jail though."

"Oh yeah. Definitely. But I wonder how happy she is now!"

You closed your eyes, humming your favorite song loudly in your head to try and tune out their conversation. Opening them, your gaze fell to the leather band you wore around your wrist for a moment before you harshly tore your eyes away, circling your answer for why the moon phases occur. But after a moment, you dropped your pen and fixed the band, making sure they covered the black words inked into your skin and that there was no way it would slip off. It covered the first words your soulmate would ever say to you, and it was the thing that angered you the most in the world.

"Want seconds, Y/N?" You heard your mother ask you and you shook your head, refusing as she pushed the bowl of macaroni and cheese towards you and you smiled.

"You mean thirds?" Your dad laughed, and you frowned.

"I'm a growing girl," you retorted in defense.

"Exactly. Growing girl." Your mom backed you up, and the three of you begun to laugh.

You had stopped before them, and a sad smile appeared on your face as you looked at your parents. You had always wondered if they really loved each other, or if it was just because they were soulmates. You hadn't blatantly asked them, because you always thought it would be rude, but you were still unsure after all these years. As much as you hated the idea of soulmates, you wanted some kind of proof that the other side had an argument that could maybe change your mind. That maybe you could experience true love with your soulmate, and that the universe really does know what it's doing for the best of people.

"I'm gonna go do some more homework before bed," you told them after another couple of minutes, standing up and grabbing your dirty dishes so you could bring them to the kitchen. “Oh, and before you argue, it's your turn to clean up, Dad."

"Oo," he winced, looking at you with a look of fake betrayal. "You couldn't let it slide one night?" He laughed and you smiled while you shook your head.

"One of us has gotta stay on top of it,"

"Thanks for reminding me, hon," you turned your head to look at your mom. "Take these please?" She asked you as she handed her plate and cup to you. "I have some work I need to wrap up before tomorrow too."

"You're both leaving me all alone?" Your father complained, and you watched as your mother rolled her eyes and quickly kiss his cheek, patting him on shoulder.

"You won't be alone, you'll have your best friends, sponge, soap, and dishes to accompany you."

You snickered as you turned into the kitchen, scraping off any food left on the plates before placing them in the sink, wiping your hands before dashing to your room before your dad could somehow lasso you into helping him and flopping on your bed.

You reached over the edge to grab for your backpack, but you couldn't find it, so you sat up to look. You fought the sudden swell of curiosity that urged you to take off your band and see what your words were. It had been years since you last actually read them, having become a master at not paying attention at times where you took it off, only seeing glimpses of black. But for some reason today, you had wanted to look twice, and you couldn't help the thought of what if you had met your soulmate today and you didn't know?

You shook it away from your head. Even if you had met your soulmate, and the letters tattooed on your skin were now gold, it didn't matter. Everyone you came into contact today, you knew for a fact you felt no romantic feelings for. You had made that promise to yourself years ago; that you would only ever be with the person you fell in love with and no one else, even if they weren't your soulmate. You know the chances of that were slim, most people in the world never wanted to stay with someone for long outside of their soulmate, you knew you hadn't met someone like that yet, and you weren't sure if you ever would.

Reaching under your bed, you grabbed your bag. It had somehow got underneath instead where you had placed it next to it, and you opened it up, taking out the Pre-Calc homework you hadn't finished yet.

Today had been slow and uneventful, and you wanted to do nothing more than to sleep the second you got home.

You glanced up to make sure your path was clear and you weren't going to run into anyone as you turned your attention to your phone and turned your music up, changing the song and readjusting both of your earbuds in your ears. You had a good amount of time before you would get home. Sure, it was longer than taking the bus, but this way you could at least avoid more soulmate conversations. Besides, it was a plus, because you got air you otherwise wouldn't get and time to think all alone. And it was your source of exercise.

Because of your music, you hadn't heard the scream that pierced the air, only seeing the car that was careening off of the street and right towards you when it was too late for you to run out of the way.

Your heart was racing as you realized this was it, you were going to die. But out of nowhere, you felt yourself being yanked back forcefully, and you roughly hit the wall of the alley you were by.

Your eyes widened as you saw the familiar red and blue suit of none other than Spider-Man flip into view, shooting two webs, one at the car to stop it, and one at a building across the street, and successfully stopped the vehicle from moving. But then you grimaced in pain, stumbling forward and rubbing the back of your head. Frowning, you turned around to glare at the brick wall that caused the bump that was now forming on the back of your head.

Turning around, you jumped from surprise and your heart stopped again, and not in the good way, when you saw Spider-Man himself standing in front of you. A range of emotion raced through you, but anger won the battle and you spoke before he did.

"Thanks for saving me and all, but any harsher and _you_ could've been the death of me." You grumbled angrily, your jaw tightening as you picked up your phone from where it dropped out of your pocket from your impact.

"You..." you watched as Spider-Man froze in front of you, his body becoming stiff and his head turning as his eyes glanced at his arm. Your eyebrows furrowed from both anger and confusion. "You're it!" He breathed out, the eyes on his mask widening to their full extent.

"Excuse me?" You asked him, a little offended. "I'm not an _it_ , Web-Head, I'm—" You started angrily, but when you waved your arm at him, you saw your band had shifted, and a shimmer caught your eye. Your breath hitched in your throat, and you ripped off the cuff and you gasped. The words Spider-Man had just spoke not even a minute ago were glimmering a proud gold against your skin. "Oh, no,"

"You're my soulmate!" He laughed and your head shot up. "That- that's insane! I can't believe this!"

"You shouldn't." You stated firmly, tugging the leather back down onto your wrist. "Because I'm not."

You weren't sure what else to say, this is definitely not how you planned the days events being, especially because nothing worth telling about happened the rest of the day. You did feel guilty, because by his reaction, how excited he sounded like one of the millions of other people in the world who was counting the days until they met their other half, but there was no way you were changing your mind. Not now.

"What? Y-yes you are!" He argued, following you as you walked back out onto the sidewalk, ignoring the crowd of people that had formed because of the would be accident. "Wait! You shouldn't be walking! Are you okay? You-you should go to a hospital or something!"

"I'm fine, thanks. Leave me alone now?" You called over your shoulder as you continued to walk away.

"But we're soulmates!" He responded, and you saw a web attach the the lamppost in front of you and then Spider-Man zip to a couple feet in front of you, turning to face you.

"And that's unfortunate for you," you glanced at the masks eyes, apology in your eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, you're a nice dude and all, thanks for being a hero or whatever, but I don't want a soulmate. Not this way."

"What," You saw out of the corner of your eye him stop moving. "What do you mean?" He asked softly, and you couldn't believe the amount of hurt in his voice, cursing yourself for stopping and facing him.

"I don't want a soulmate." You repeated, confusion filling you as to why you had to fight your voice from wavering. You never heard about sharing emotions with your soulmate, did you? Why did it feel like you were about to cry? "I'm sorry. I really am. But I- I gotta go," you backed up a couple of steps before facing back the way you needed to go and you left Spider-Man standing in shock behind you.

You really were sorry, but he had to understand that you weren't like everyone else. You had common sense that fueled you and kept your head on straight. You hoped, at least, that he would understand.


	8. The Cancelled Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The feeling still hadn't gone away after a couple of minutes, and you felt your breathing get heavier as you'd started to get scared. The traffic had slowed down and there was barely any which had to be a first in Queens, and you could hear any natural sounds of the night all around you. You kept your eyes peeled for someone, constantly looking all around you as you walked, but you could never see anyone. 
> 
> You were starting to imagine the pair of eyes you felt on you until you you heard someone exclaim in surprise which made you freeze instantly, but then you heard the familiar thwip of Spider-Man's webshooters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to get better at chapter names.
> 
> This was my first requested chapter, actually, from @teenwishes03 on Wattpad.
> 
> It’s Only A Word - Part Two up next!

You were frowning as you stared down at your lunch in front of you. Usually you toughed through school meals, sometimes getting lucky and it being pretty good, but today you weren't even sure what was on the tray. It looked bad and smelled worse, and it completely made your appetite disappear. 

"Yeah, I don't want to eat it either." Peter's familiar voice brought a small smile to your face and you looked in time to see him place his tray down, sliding it out of the way, and pressing a kiss to your temple before settling next to you. "So misleading. This is not meatloaf."

"Nope." you laughed, sitting up straight and stretching.

"I didn't know you didn't have Odyssey today." You turned your head to face Peter and sighed before reaching over and stealing a tater tot from his tray with a small smirk.

"Cancelled today," you answered. "Mrs. H is sick. We have a while until finals. Besides, I get an extra lunch period with you." You hummed, scooting closer and resting your head on your boyfriends shoulder, glancing up at Ned who sat down across from the two of you with his food. He actually was smart went to the pizza line instead of the special, so he had something edible.

"That's a miracle." Peter agreed, a dopey smile spreading across his lips after you'd kissed him, arm coming up to wrap around your shoulders as Ned rolled his eyes and pretended to gag.

"Just because you guys don't want to eat doesn't mean I don't want too," he frowned and you laughed.

"I'm sorry Ned. Want one too?" You snickered, ignoring the small frown that appeared on Peter's face although he more than anyone knew you were joking.

"No thanks, Y/N," Ned laughed. "I am very comfortable staying the third-wheel on this side of the table."

"We're not that bad," you argued, glancing at Peter for backup.

"Correction: you're not that bad." Ned grinned, eyeing Peter. "You do realize how much Peter's in love with you? It's almost sickening."

"Hey!" Peter countered, although a grin of his own formed. "You're only right about one of those things."

"He's right babe," you sighed, drawing circles on the lunch table. "It is a little sickening." You said with the straightest face you could muster, and trying your hardest not to look at Peter when he shifted, turning towards you most likely with a shocked face, going off of Ned's laughter.

"You're kidding," Peter asked you, and you stifled a laugh.

"You know I am." You shook your head, chuckling as Peter gently pushed you with his shoulder. "I love you too, you dork," you pushed him back.

"Yeah, that sounds better." Peter laughed and Ned facepalmed.

"And I could work on a better transition, but honestly I'm terrible at them, so let me tell you now before I forget," you groaned, turning your whole body towards Peter.

"Something wrong?" He asked, looking at you while opening his milk carton.

"I have to cancel tomorrow." You sincerely pouted. "My dad's forcing me to be his plus one for his work gala thing."

"The one you've been making fun of all week?" Peter bit back a smile although he was disappointed you had to cancel your date.

"The very same," you grumbled, picking up your straw and twirling it in your fingers, letting out a loud sigh. "Sorry, Peter,"

"It's fine, you know that," He shrugged. "We'll reschedule."

"I don't even want to go though. Big dresses, being shown off, forced to socialize, those aren't my things." You glared at Peter when he let out a loud snort.

"I know, sweetheart, but you'll be fine. I'll swing by before you leave, yeah?" He rubbed your shoulder reassuringly and after a moment, you nodded your head and smiled.

"Do you even have a dress?" Ned asked and you thought about it.

"I don't, but I went through my moms old wardrobe and found one of hers from when she attended these things with Dad." Your thoughts trailed off. "I hope he doesn't realize it's hers and gets sad," it was more of a sentence you spoke to yourself although you said it out loud, before shaking off the thought and then your head. "So, anything interesting to talk about?"

"Yeah, actually," Ned started, smile on his face. "I found—"

Ned stopped talking almost as abruptly as Peter pulling you to his side without warning. The question of why didn't last long when a glob of "meatloaf" landed and skidded across the table, where, just a second ago, the back of your head would've been.

"What the hell?" You said, turning your head to look behind you, following Peter's gaze to where he was scowling at a snickering Flash. "Very mature," you mumbled, turning back around, and Peter loosened his arm back into a comfortable position around your waist. "Thanks, Pete," You said, meaning it at first, but then laughing at the accidental meme.

"Oh no, not this again," Peter groaned playfully, and Ned snapped out of shock, eyeing the mystery meat with disgust and holding in a laugh.

"Lucky no one saw that," you stood up after a minute and Peter's eyes never left you, curious as to where you were going, glancing back towards Flash to see if he was watching. He'd cornered you before when you were alone, and there was no way Peter was letting him do it again. "I don't think a food fight in the largest lunch period of the school would be the best idea. I'm gonna go grab a couple napkins to clean this up. Want me to throw this out?" Your question was directed at Peter as you reached for his lunch tray, holding yours in your other hand. Neither of you were going to eat anyway.

"Oh. Sure." He handed it to you so you wouldn't have to lean over him. "Be careful," You made a face at Peter, although you knew it wouldn't do anything. The boy had told you to be careful for everything you did, whether it was dangerous or not, since the day you had become his friend even before you started dating. But you couldn't argue, you found it cute how protective he got sometimes.

You smiled at the two boys before getting up and heading towards the trash, dumping the contents of food and placing the trays on top. You looked over to where Flash was sitting, and seeing if he was watching you. You knew that's what Peter had to be thinking about; let's just say that that wasn't a pleasant encounter for anyone.

After grabbing a napkin to wipe your hands, you grabbed a couple for the table and headed back, cleaning up the mess to try and alleviate some work for the janitors.

"You were saying?" You smiled towards Ned when you finally sat down to stay, getting comfy next to Peter again.

"I got a new hat!"

You were staring at the dress you were going to wear later tonight with a small sad smile. You hadn't realized it had been one of your mothers favorites until you had time to stop and really look at it,

The navy blue fabric hung gracefully above the floor, creating beautiful folds, ones you remember hiding in as a child. The simplistic plain satin glossy and perfect. You had seen why it was one of your mothers favorites, and why it was now yours.

You wiped away the tears you felt forming before it did any damage to the makeup you put on earlier for the event. As you turned around and started to bend over to pull out the black heels you were going to wear, you heard a light tapping at your window and you spun around, cancelling your action and moving towards your window with a grin.

"You're late," you pointed out to Peter as he climbed through your window, hopping out onto the floor, and as you shut it he ripped off his mask.

"I know. Kinda got slowed by an attempted robbery."

"Get hurt?" You asked him softly, glancing into his eyes while you ran a hand through his hair, scratching your fingers against his scalp for a second and he let out a hum of satisfactionand closed his eyes at your action before talking.

"Nope. A finger didn't even touch me," He answered cockily with a smirk and you shook your head, laughing lightly.

"No need to show off to me. We all know you use the same technique take out the small guys."

"I do not!" Peter argued with a dramatic gasp.

"Punch punch, web web, all done," You made fun of him, mimicking his hand movements and you grinned as he rolled his eyes, grabbing your wrists and pushing them down.

"Alright, alright," He agreed although he still thought you were wrong. He laughed, and when he stopped, he found you smiling. "You look beautiful," Peter gently spoke, cupping your face in his gloved hand.

"I'm only wearing a towel," you scoffed.

"I know," a lopsided grin appeared on his face. He wasn't lying, you could be all dressed up or not attempt to put any effort to your appearance and he thought you still were beautiful.

"I would love to enjoy the compliment, but we're already running late and I need to get dressed." You whispered with an apologetic smile, pulling away from him and Peter followed you to where your dress was hanging up on your closet door.

"This is what you're wearing?" He asked even though the answer was blatant.

"Yup," you answered anyway, unwrapping the towel around your body and holding in a laugh when Peter spun around quicker than you ever could to give you some privacy. "Chill, I'm not naked," you snickered. "Just didn't want to do my makeup in my underwear. Nothing you haven't seen before." You draped the towel over your desk chair and took down the dress, stepping into it and pulling it up your body. "Zip this?"

You turned your head to see Peter warily look over his shoulder, a smile appearing on his face as he watched you straighten out one of the thin off the shoulder sleeves.

"I know, but still," you laughed lightly as his face flushed a light pink from embarrassment and his voice got softer as he stepped behind you and you stood up straight so he could zip up the dress easier. "We almost match," Peter then chuckled, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you to his chest, dipping his head down to your shoulder and kissing your cheek as you glanced down at the blue of his suit and almost snorted.

"Prom, I'll get the right blue," you hummed, moving with him as he started to sway. "But until then, lemme get this necklace on." Ignoring Peter's groan, you lifted his arms from you and grabbed the gold layered necklace you wanted to wear.

"But I can't wear the suit to prom!" Peter groaned again, and you met his eyes through the mirror.

"I mean, you could, but that means no kisses."

"Yeah, no, I'm not forfeiting those." You smiled as you let out a breath of completion, slipping your heels on and then standing up straight to look at Peter.

"Sorry about this again," you grabbed his hand and swung it between you.

"Sucks I couldn't afford a ticket, we could've had our date there," He smiled, the look in his eyes telling you it was alright for the hundredth time. "I still think it's crazy it's so much just to get in!"

"It's a charity ball or whatever. Something to raise money for funding for some kind of animal genetic experimentation?" You shrugged. "Dad just wants to show me off because his colleagues haven't seen me in years, I know it."

"Play nice," Peter joked, but then his expression hardened. "But not too nice." He paused and you looked at him, amused. "Stay away from any creepy old guys and anyone looking like they're up to no good." He warned you, and you held in a laugh. "You look way too good for me to not be there with you."

"I promise," you said, letting out a breath and smiling, wrapping your arms around his neck. "I wouldn't give you up for the world," you assured him even though you knew Peter needed no assurance.

"Honey?" You heard your father call from downstairs and you and Peter both eyes the door. "We gotta go! Almost done?"

"Be there in a minute!" You called back. "Gotta go," you whispered to Peter, scrunching up your face for a brief second before giving him a quick kiss. "I'll see you later, love you." You grabbed your small clutch and slowly backed towards the door. "Close the window on your way out, please?"

"I will, don't worry." Peter said as he prepared to put his mask back on. "I love you too, Y/N." He back up towards the window and you opened the door. "Be careful and have fun!" He whispered to you, pulling on his mask and climbing out as you turned off your bedroom light and headed down the stairs to meet your impatient father so the two of you could head out.

  
  


The night had been as uneventful for you as you thought it would be.

Your father kept you by him like you were tethered together as he proudly boasted about you as all of his friends paid you compliments mostly consisting of how much you reminded them of your mother and how big you got, but once he got his rounds done, he got talking about work and told you to try and find something to keep you entertained. Except, there really was nothing entertaining to do, and while you tried to hold it out as long as you could for your dad, you were really tired and too bored to hang around any longer.

Finding him, you patiently waited until he turned his attention to you. "Dad?" You asked as he turned around and smiled at you. "It's getting pretty late, I was wondering if I could take the bus home?" You asked, hoping his answer was yes.

"The gala doesn't end until another hour or so, are you sure you want to leave right now?" He asked you, and you could tell he was disappointed but you still nodded. "Okay," he sighed. "Let me just wrap this up, and we can head home."

"No, you can stay if you want," you told him, shaking your head. "The stop is only a five minute walk away, and if I head out now, I can catch the bus and be home in ten minutes."

"Hm," he furrowed his eyebrows as he thought. "Do you need money?" He sighed, and you wondered if he felt bad for wanting to stay over going home with you. "Stay alert, I want you to stay safe."

"I should be fine," you answered for both of his sentences, leaning forward and hugging him goodbye. "Be back before 2:00," you grinned playfully before waving goodbye to his associates and turning around, making sure you had everything you came with before walking out of the grand doors.

You regretted not bringing some kind of jacket after you started walking and shivered a little from a cool wind that blew by. It had been warm all day, and you hadn't thought it would drop so much by nightfall.

Watching your surroundings and ignoring the weird looks you sometimes got from the few other people for walking down the New York streets in a formal gown, you set for the bus stop just a block away.

You weren't checking your phone, but you wished you had been because out of the corner of your eye, you saw the city bus drive by. Your eyes widened, and you picked up your dress and started to walk faster. "No, no, no!" You groaned because you couldn't run at your full speed to the end of the block, and you couldn't make it in time before the bus closed it's doors and drove away. "That's great," you muttered under your breath, dropping your dress and pausing in the middle of the sidewalk

You didn't want to call your dad to pick you up, you would never hear the end of it, and knowing him, he probably wouldn't let you go anywhere by yourself for a month at least, so you pulled out your phone and called Peter. You knew it might've been a long shot, but part of you hoped he was awake and he could come and find you, and accompany you home.

As the line rang, you started to walk again. If he didn't pick up, you had to walk home. It wasn't very far anyway, the bus ride just would've cut the time it took to get there in half.

After the third ring, you pulled your phone from your ear. You thought you had heard Peter's ringtone for you, but when you listened, there was silence, the only noise coming from the cars passing on the streets. Sighing, you left a message as it went to voicemail.

"Hey Pete, if you somehow wake up in the next couple of minutes and check your phone, you think you could—" you cut yourself off. "Never mind, it's fine. You can just sleep. Goodnight." You hung up and put your phone back, rolling your shoulders and letting out a breath. Your feet hurt, and you just wanted to take off your heels and walk barefooted.

Everything was pretty much fine for the next couple of minutes, before you felt like someone was watching you and you hesitated. You had pepper spray in your clutch in case the worse did happen, but you really hoped it was just paranoia and that you would be okay. Even so, you sped up, walking as fast as you could.

The feeling still hadn't gone away after a couple of minutes, and you felt your breathing get heavier as you'd started to get scared. The traffic had slowed down and there was barely any which had to be a first in Queens, and you could hear any natural sounds of the night all around you. You kept your eyes peeled for someone, constantly looking all around you as you walked, but you could never see anyone.

You were starting to imagine the pair of eyes you felt on you until you you heard someone exclaim in surprise which made you freeze instantly, but then you heard the familiar thwip of Spider-Man's webshooters.

You felt your tense expression drop, and you let out a small groan, closing your eyes and letting your head drop back for a moment as you took a deep breath. There were still people walking around you, even if there weren't many, so you checked the upcoming alley before darting in there, walking a little ways into the dark before stopping and looking up.

"All right Spidey, you can stop stalking me now," you laughed into the sky, disbelief masking your small annoyance with was all masked by your relief.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Peter shamefully down in front of you, and you shook your head. "What- what gave me away?" He asked, embarrassed tone in his voice.

"You really followed me?" You pushed him lightly. "Tell me next time! I thought I was about to get kidnapped!"

"Why'd you decide to walk home? Alone? In the dark?"

"I'm tired and my dad wanted to stay." You admitted, realizing how bad of an idea it was until you remembered Peter was in front of you. "You didn't watch me the whole night, did you?"

"Come on, you can't blame me!" He started. "This was supposed to be our date time, we could've been in your bed by now." Peter countered and you raised an eyebrow curiously. You could tell he saw the small action and the smirk on your face when he shifted awkwardly, folding his arms. "Watching a movie," he clarified in a semi-annoyed voice. "A regular movie."

"I thought you said it was fine," you let out a loud breath, stepping towards him so you could see his mask better

"I just wanted you to be safe," Peter added quietly and you smiled.

"And you did your job." You looked at him for a minute, shaking your head again because he seriously followed you since you left. Hours ago. "Bring me home?"

"Hold on tight?"

You stared at him blankly. "You're not swinging me home while I'm wearing a dress. I'm not giving anyone watching a free show, I was just thinking you'd walk with me."

"Whatever you want," Peter grabbed your hand, and you set back out to the sidewalk with Spider-Man.

"Wait," you stopped walking, deciding that your feet were killing you too much, and you hastily took off your shoes. "Okay, that's so much better," you said as relief flew to your feet, taking a second to stretch them before walking again.

"You're gonna walk barefoot?"

"I couldn't care less at this moment," you closed your eyes and pushed your hair back, your eyes shooting open again when you felt your body being from the ground. "Holy Hera! You can't do that without warning!" You yelped as you found Peter holding you up bridal style in his arms, your arms clinging to his neck as your heart started to slow back down to normal as your shock faded.

"What? Now you can go to sleep if you want." Peter shrugged like it was no big deal. "And you won't have to walk anymore."

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you when you act like this," you muttered and Peter chuckled. "Thanks Pete," you said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear so the people across the street wouldn't hear his name before you started to laugh again. Your head found a comfy position on his shoulder, and you closed your eyes.

"No problem Y/N," he whispered back.

"Get me home before Dad gets back?" You yawned and you felt Peter nod his head.

You knew he said something after you, but you couldn't make it out. His warmth and movement from his steps lulling you to sleep quicker than you would've ever imagined, and you fell asleep in his arms as he held you, walking down the sidewalk to bring you home.


	9. It’s Only A Word - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You had tried to go to bed early, because the last couple of nights you hadn't been getting much sleep, but ultimately you couldn't fall asleep. So you made your way through the dark and to the fire escape in the living room, climbing up to the roof. You liked to sit up there from time to time. It wasn't any quieter than if you were inside, but there was something different, somewhat calming about it. 
> 
> Of course that wasn't the case this time. As you jumped up, you turned around to find Spider-Man pacing the roof and anger and confusion, both yours and his, filled you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inevitable obliviousness begins in this chapter. We all knew it was coming, so prepare yourself. Also, the main plot begins to pick up, so stay tuned!

You weren't expecting to feel this bad after meeting your soulmate. The amount of guilt you felt for probably crushing probably Spider-Man's biggest dream, or rather whoever Spider-Man was behind the mask's dream. 

You felt yourself frowning at the thought as well as the golden words on your skin.  
  


_You...you're it!_

They weren't going anywhere, they were a reminder that you now had your soulmate in your life, you learned from your parents and anyone else who studied soulmates. You sighed as you opened your laptop, typing in "could you feel your soulmates emotions?" Into the search bar and waiting for the results to load. You needed to figure whether you were truly sad, or if Spider-Man was making you suffer through his emotions with him.

"It's very rare, but a few reported cases around the world state that it is possible to feel your soulmates emotions once you met them, if the emotion is strong enough. If you do, then you're really lucky! Now you know exactly how your soulmate feels every hour of the day!" You mimicked in your best reporter voice with a fake grin plastered on your face before dropping your head down onto your desk in your bedroom. "This is just great. The best thing that's ever happened to me," you groaned maybe a little too loudly, because a minute later, you heard a knocking on your bedroom door.

"Y/N?" Another knock. "You all right?" Your mothers voice from the other side and you sat up.

"Yeah," you answered back and when you heard your door creak open, you pulled on your cuff to cover the shiny gold letters. "Yeah, I'm fine." You lied, turning around in your seat to face your mom, giving her a small smile.

"Either you're lying or I'm getting worse at hearing sarcasm and you're truly having the best day of your life." She raised her eyebrows at you and stepped forward, looking over your shoulder at your laptop, which you forgot you had open. It was too late to close it now. "You're researching soulmates?" Her voice got lighter from happiness and her smile widened.

Gulping, you slowly closed your laptop and shrugged. "I just got curious," you tried to answer, but your mother got the wrong idea.

"Are you finally coming around?" She asked with a grin, nudging your shoulder and inviting herself to sit on your bed next to you.

"I- what? No." You shook your head, your guilt feeling heavier in your chest, weighing almost as much as the sadness Spider-Man was involuntarily giving you. "It's just a project for school. We have to write an essay about the rarest things that can happen with soulmates and all that jazz," you quickly lied.

"Oh, I had to do that too." Your mom smiled, although you could see in her eyes she was a little disappointed your answer wasn't yes. You knew she wanted a daughter that was just like her. Normal. "Did you know some soulmates can hear each other's thoughts once they meet? Or feel each other's emotions, or pain if they get hurt."

"Yeah." You mumbled, turning your head and glancing at the brown leather covering your skin. Part of you wanted to just tell her everything. How you almost got crushed by an off the rails SUV just yesterday, but Spider-Man, who also happened to be your soulmate, saved you, and now you were sitting at home feeling his emotions of hurt because you told him you didn't want him. You knew that no matter how much your mother wanted you to be crazy about your soulmate, she, as well as your father, respected your decision because they taught you also be the type of person you wanted to be, and that she would offer the best advice she could give you. But you didn't.

"That's amazing, isn't it?" She beamed. "I wish me and your father had one of those. I would do anything to be more connected to him than I already am." She sighed and you watched as her eyes lit up.

"You and dad already seem like you know each other's every move," you carefully said.

"That's because soulmates are connected." She leaned towards you. "Plus, we already know everything about each other, it's easy to predict his next move, although, he still keeps me on my toes," she laughed and you smiled.

"You guys really love each other."

"We really do." She tilted her head to the side as she stood up. "Or else, you wouldn't be here," You let out a breath through your nose at her words. There was way too much going on in your brain for your liking, too many emotions, too many thoughts. "I know you've heard this a million times, from both us and anyone else, but soulmates aren't bad." She sighed, taking one last look at you before opening the door and walking out of your room.

"I just want to be sure," you whispered in response, although your mom wasn't there anymore. You just stood up and grabbed your book bag, you needed to get ready for school.

You were starting to get annoyed with the boy who sat in front of you in English.

It wasn't a bad annoyed, he just kept turning his head to look over his shoulder to look at you almost every minute, like he wanted to say something to you, but as far as you could tell, you've never spoken a word to him before. But he was definitely nervous, his breathing a little rushed and when his right hand wasn't tugging at his left arm sleeve, it was tapping on the desk, either with his fingers or with his pen.

You pursed your lips when the period was almost half done. You'd caught his brown eyes on you at least three times although you knew he looked back a lot more than that, and you were getting a little sick of it. You figured maybe he needed a little push to say whatever he wanted to say. You wracked your brain for his name, finally remembering it from roll call.

"Hey," you leaned forward and spoke in a whisper, poking his shoulder with your pencil. "Peter, right?" You had to stifle a gasp when you suddenly felt your stomach churn, but not from nausea although it felt like it, but from...nervousness? Why the hell would you be nervous to talk to someone?

The boy jumped and he turned his entire head to face you, eyes wide with shock.

"H-hi!" He blurted a little loudly and you tilted your head slightly to the side. "What- what are you doing?" He asked, his voice getting higher as well as softer as he asked the question.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" You asked as nicely as you could because you weren't sure what his deal was, but your annoyance was still showing. You hated it when people watched you.

"Me? Um," you watched with a confused stare as his eyes focused on everywhere but you. "Uh, no? I-I don't think so? I'm sorry." He turned around and faced forward again, head low as he stared down at his paper.

You knew for a fact he was lying, but it wasn't your problem or job to figure out what it was. Sure, it might've had to do something with you, but it obviously wasn't important.

You heard the teacher announce that testing time was done, and that he wanted the tests to be handed in so you stopped doodling on your already completed paper and handed it to him as he made his rounds around the room.

"Also, I think it's time we all do a partner project, yeah?" You watched your over enthusiastic teacher say with an grin and the class have its mixed reactions. "I want everyone to pair up, no independent working this time." You knew that last comment was directed towards you, but you just shrugged. Working alone was great, but you couldn't get away with it all the time. "I want to keep it pretty basic this time, since we're working on our non fiction unit, I want you and your partner to find a time where you both felt a certain type of emotion and find a way to explain how they could connect. It could be in any way, like you both dropped your ice cream in the summer and felt mad or sad. There'll be more detailed instructions online if you still have questions." He looked around the room. "Be careful who you pick, I do have the authority to change partners if I want too. You have the rest of the period to get talking, go!"

You let out a sigh and closed your eyes when students started to get up and fill the classroom with moving bodies as they tried to get to their friends. When you opened them again, you saw that Peter hadn't moved from in front of you, and a weird feeling appeared in your chest, like something was telling you to talk to him. You shook the feeling off, but the thought was already in your head.

"You wanna work together?" You asked before you even had double thought about it, and Peter turned to look at you again, confusion on his features. "What? It's not like I have any friends anyway," you rolled your eyes. "It's fine if you don't want too."

"No! I just- um, I'm not sure if that's the best idea?" He cringed at his words, like he was unsure of them leaving his mouth. "Uh, actually, sure. I-if you want too."

"Great." You sighed. How the two of you have anything in common, you had no idea.

You decided against listening to music for a while on your walks home for now, you were too scared something like yesterday happening again, and you knew the chances of Spider-Man being there to save you again were close to zero. Especially because of your last conversation. Who would want to save someone who hurt them that bad again?

You couldn't feel any emotion that wasn't yours at the moment, and you thought maybe he was over it. Maybe he really didn't care about his soulmate after all. Relief flew through you at the thought, that would definitely make things easier for you. But once you got home, your entire mood shifted.

What if you really were going to be alone forever because of this?

You pushed the negative feelings away, although the thought still lingered. Your reasoning for not wanting a soulmate was good, and there was no way you were going to change your mind unless you were proved wrong, which didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.

You thought about how stupid your English teacher was for giving out a partner project on a Friday, because you had no class time to work together. It wasn't like you had any way to contact Peter, you hadn't thought about getting his number or giving him yours, and by the looks of it, neither had he.

You had tried to go to bed early, because the last couple of nights you hadn't been getting much sleep, but ultimately you couldn't fall asleep. So you made your way through the dark and to the fire escape in the living room, climbing up to the roof. You liked to sit up there from time to time. It wasn't any quieter than if you were inside, but there was something different, somewhat calming about it.

Of course that wasn't the case this time. As you jumped up, you turned around to find Spider-Man pacing the roof and anger and confusion, both yours and his, filled you.

"What the hell? Did you follow me home or something?" You called out walking towards him and his head shot up in your direction.

"What?" He took a clumsy step back after you stopped right in front of him, arms crossed. "No. I didn't today. But-but I did yesterday,"

"What part of leave me alone don't you understand?" You asked, flopping your arms angrily down at your sides and huffing.

"That's the thing, I-I don't understand!" He replied. "I don't get why you wouldn't want a soulmate! I mean, everyone in the world does!"

"Looks like not everyone," you blinked, your face blank. "This conversation is over. I already said I was sorry." You turned to walk away, but confusion you started to feel from Spider-Man behind you and his voice stopped you.

"Tell me why."

"What?" You spun back to face him.

"Just tell me why you don't want a soulmate. Why you won't give me a chance." He paused, desperation in his voice. "Please."

Sighing, you shook your head, biting your cheek because you couldn't believe you were even going to stay, and sat down right where you were standing, fixing your shirt and glancing at the hero as he slowly moved forward, sitting down a safe distance in front of you.

"It isn't fair." You began. "Why is everyone just okay with letting the universe decide who you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with?"

"Because... it's the universe?"

"Yeah, but what even is this higher force that decides? No one knows, but we let it anyway." You shrugged. "It's really not you, there's nothing wrong with you, I bet you're amazing, if you're supposed to be my soulmate, but I can't love someone just because I'm supposed too."

"I don't think just because we're soulmates means that you have to love me right away," He added before you could speak again.

"But doesn't it?" You stared into the whites of his mask. "Because of this whole soulmate thing, people assume that whoever says those words," you motioned to your still covered wrist. "Is the one that you spend the rest of your life with, give all of your love too in just a blink of the eye. Look, I've been studying soulmates all my life, and I think that people love their soulmates because that's what they think they have to do."

"W-what do you mean?" He asked softly.

"I really don't have anything against soulmates, some people really do love theirs, but to me it's just a word." You took a deep breath. "I want to be able to fall in love with whoever I want, not who the universe picked for me. I want to be able to experience those feelings for myself without the nagging feeling of knowing that I'm supposed to feel like that for them."

There was silence.

"So what you're saying," Spider-Man started softly. "Is that, if I didn't say anything, you wouldn't have known I was your soulmate, and there could've been a chance you fell in love with me without feeling pressured to?"

You paused, your eyebrows furrowing at his words. "I guess you could say it like that." You shook your head sadly. "If I didn't know we were "soulmates", and I somehow did fall for you, that would be enough proof for me that these words, the words that have been on us our entire life, they mean nothing and it's just a push in the right direction. Not instructions."

"Okay." You looked up at him curiously. 

"What?"

"Okay." He repeated. "I understand now." He stood up and held his hand out to help you, which you hesitantly took. "What if I could prove you wrong?"

"And how would you don't that?" You laughed dryly, not believing him for a second.

"I..." he stopped, looking around. "I can't tell you."

"Right," you nodded your head. After the two of you were quiet for a second you spoke again. "Are you okay?" The feelings were faint, maybe because they weren't strong anymore, but you still felt sadness. The confusion was gone.

"I will be." He answered, and you noticed his voice was filled with hope. But also, it sounded familiar and you couldn't figure out why. "I-I'll see you later Y/N!" He called to you as he took steps back to the edge of the roof and jumped off, swinging away. 

You weren't sure what to do as you stood on the roof alone, stuck with the question of trying to figure out how Spider-Man knew your name.


	10. It’s Only A Word - Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Can I ask a ridiculous question?" You said after a second. 
> 
> "Sure?" Peter's smile faltered a little as you watched slight confusion make it's way onto his face. 
> 
> "Where were you Friday night?" You we're trying to keep your emotions in check as you also kept your voice level. There was no other way you would've heard Peter's voice before, because you knew for a fact you had never talked to him before, unless it was behind that mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You came so close. So close. And Peter’s starting to dig what’s going to be a deep, deep, hole, and I’m only a little mad at myself for coming up with this.

You were fairly certain you never told Spider-Man your name. It wasn't like you knew his either. 

It bugged you all weekend, Spider-Man had to be someone you knew. Or at least, they knew you. So you started to form a plan to figure out who Spider-Man was based on who you talk to the most, but quickly realized that that plan wouldn't work. You talked to your mother and father on a daily basis, that's it, other than your teachers. But going off his voice and body, there was no way Spider-Man was any of them.

You groaned out of frustration, realizing that because Spider-Man was so obviously someone who shared a class with you, and that means that there were so many people and it wouldn't be easy to narrow it down. But now that you knew they knew you, you had to know them, because that just wasn't right.

You were suspicious of everyone the second you stepped into school on Monday, zeroing in on any person of the male gender that so much glanced in your direction.

You started talking a lot, which was a new sight for everyone who's known you since the beginning of the year or longer. You were listening as intently as you could to any guy who answered a question in class, and you tried your hardest to initiate a conversation with anyone who didn't talk. You were getting sick of trying to get the boys in your classes to talk, sometimes coming off as desperate, so by the time 9th period rolled around, you were completely done, you had given up on _trying_ , but not on the search. You weren't even sure if you remembered Spider-Man's voice at this point.

"Happy Monday!" Your English teacher announced way too happily for it being the last period of the day. "So, first things first, I'm extending the due date from tomorrow to Thursday, because I somehow forgot it was Friday, yeah, yeah I've heard about it all day," he said as students filed into the room and you plopped down in your seat.

You didn't want to listen to the small speech it had seemed like he prepared, so you dropped your head down onto your desk, just to be disrupted by Peter.

"Good afternoon," he sat in his seat in front of you and you feeling his eyes trained on you made you peek up. You definitely weren't expecting to go soft when you saw his smile. Peter smiling. At you.

The sudden feeling of nervousness returned, but this time, you were sure it was you. You narrowed your eyes quickly to try and not cause Peter to be suspicious as to why your eyes went wide and you felt your face heat up; you prayed you weren't blushing. No, you didn't have a crush on the boy you just talked to for the first time three days ago, you just thought he had a cute smile.

"You're way too happy," you groaned in reply, letting your head drop back down to your desk. "Why?"

"Uh, no reason," he quickly replied. "So, what emotion should we pick?"

"Getting right to it, aren't you?" You sat up straight, looking back at him. "At least I won't have to do all of the work," you paused. "I'm not sure, I haven't really thought about it that much to be honest."

"Oh, well me either." He glanced around the room. "I was pretty busy. A-and I've had a lot on my mind." He shook his head, dismissing his words. "But that doesn't matter. Um, what about something that we couldn't believe happened?"

"Like?" you said slowly, looking for an explanation.

"Like, something so unbelievable, we still can't figure out what even happened or how someone did it?"

You nodded your head, now understanding what he meant. "I think I can think a few times that happened," you said, your jaw tightening when the memory of just the other day flew through your head. Your near death experience and lucky but unlucky run-in with Spider-Man. You weren't going to tell Peter that, though. "Give me a minute to pick,"

"Okay," he grinned and scooted his chair across the floor so it turned and faced you more. "I got something."

"By all means," you shrugged, waiting for him to tell his story.

"Okay, so it was like two weeks ago actually, and I was trying to rip a piece of cardboard."

"Why?" You asked him before he could finish.

"Me and my friend Ned we're building LEGOs and I wanted to rip the box it came in. I really don't know why, I just wanted too," he shook his head and laughed. "But the point of this is, that I tried ripping it, but it wouldn't rip, so I tried harder, and," he paused, going a little red in the face and you felt yourself smiling because if he found it embarrassing, you were going to find it hilarious. "I kinda knocked myself out."

"What?" You blurted right before you snorted, hand flying up to your face to try and stifle your laughter. "No way! You knocked yourself out?" You laughed and watched as Peter frowned a little.

"I should've made you swear you wouldn't laugh." He said before his lips twitched upwards. "But seriously, I held it like this," he ripped out a piece of paper from his notebook and recreated what he did, holding the paper with both hands at the bottom, ripping up, towards his face. "And when I pulled, it was hard and fast and my fist just went like, bam, right into my jaw and I was out cold."

"I'm gonna need proof that happened." You stared at him, your eyes full of disbelief. "How could you possibly do that?"

"You could ask Ned, I uh, it wasn't the first time I accidentally knocked myself out." He admitted. "What about you? Choose yet?"

"Oh, sure." You composed yourself, letting out one last laugh as you imagined the boy in front of you punching himself in the face before talking. "So, I had this guinea pig when I was younger, and I absolutely loved him, his name was Captain Jack." You shifted in your seat. "One day, I forgot I left his cage open when I was rushing to get to school one day, because I was already late, and when I came home, Captain Jack was gone and me and my parents realized he got out of the house." You stopped talking and smiled when you heard a soft 'aw' from Peter. "But the unbelievable part of that story, is that a week later, my 3rd grade teacher adopted a pet, and when she brought it in to show the class it was literally Jack."

"Woah! Really? How did you know it was him?" Peter asked in awe.

"He had a giant scar on his left side that looked like a sword. Like, you could clearly make out the hilt and blade, there's no way two guinea pigs have that same exact scar, hence the name Captain Jack because I've always been in love with Pirates of the Caribbean. Besides, while he hated my teacher, andthe rest of the class, he was super comfortable with me because he knew me and the rest of the class didn't know why." You chuckled a little. "So he when he ran away, someone must've found him and brought him to a pet shelter where my teacher adopted him."

"That's insane!" Peter exclaimed with his mouth wide open, and you closed your mouth instead of saying the words that were going to come out because just now, his voice sounded so familiar, like you heard him say those words before.

"Can I ask a ridiculous question?" You said after a second. 

"Sure?" Peter's smile faltered a little as you watched slight confusion make it's way onto his face.

"Where were you Friday night?" You we're trying to keep your emotions in check as you also kept your voice level. There was no other way you would've heard Peter's voice before, because you knew for a fact you had never talked to him before, unless it was behind that mask.

"Friday night?" He repeated. "That-that seems pretty specific," you thought you saw panic rise in his eyes as he hesitated and you felt anger make it's way to you, because that hesitation only fed the theory that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. "I was at home. With my aunt, May, we-we had a giant movie day, watching all of the Harry Potter movies."

Your anger dissipated when he spoke. He'd looked you right in the eye as he talked, so unless he was really good at lying, he was telling the truth. You sighed, closing your eyes. You were going crazy after not even a full day of searching, because you had made a parallel between a common phrase that Spider-Man just happened to say as well as Peter.

"Why?" You heard Peter ask and you opened your eyes again, giving him an apologetic smile.

"It's nothing." You waved your hand. "I'm sorry. I just, just thought you might've been someone." Your voice trailed off by the end of the sentence, and you looked away from him again. Although, you felt panic rise up in your chest, and you were having trouble deciphering whether it was yours from the chances of you finding Spider-Man were basically zero, or his.

"Who did you- who did you think I was?" You heard Peter ask cautiously and you looked at him.

"No one." You answered quickly, shutting down the topic. "So, are those the stories we're going with? How are we going to connect them. Irony?"

"Irony would work, yeah," he grabbed his book bag. "Are we going to use my laptop? Or do you have your own?"

"What, not a fan of handwriting personal essays?"

"My handwriting isn't the best." Peter laughed. "Really, no one can understand it but me, and I don't want to subject you to that torture."

"Okay," you glanced at the laptop he pulled out; old and used with what looked like duct tape holding it together. "I don't have one, so we can use yours."

"Alright, and you could give me your email and I'll share it with you so we both can edit."

"That was smooth," you muttered softly, it being a joke in your brain that you weren't completely sure if it came out or not, but either way, it wasn't meant for Peter to hear. But you froze and smiled awkwardly when you saw his ears turn a bright pink as you stared at the back of his head while he booted up the laptop. "Shall we get started?"

"We shall,"

Your search for Spider-Man was a bust. In all fairness, it had only been two days since you started, but you made zero headway. But you guessed you couldn't blame yourself for being distracted, either.

"What are you two laughing about?" You heard Peter's aunt May ask as she walked into the living room and you pulled yourself back up from where you'd slipped off the couch.

"Did he really walk up to a lady who shouted if anyone wanted ice cream at the park without realizing she was talking to her family?" You said, accepting Peter's help as the both of you kept laughing.

"Oh yeah!" May smiled. "It wasn't even when he was young, it was like three years ago."

"May!" Peter groaned into his hands.

"You were thirteen?" You exclaimed, laughing even harder now. "I thought you were like, seven!"

"In my defense, it was _ice cream_ ," He argued.

"You must be pretty special if Pete's sharing embarrassing stories of himself," May smiled, picking up the empty bowl that did have chips in it but they were gone within the first ten minutes after you came over.

"Oh," you smiled. "I'm really not. We're just working on our project for English, and kinda got carried away with telling each other stories. He's heard some of mine, but that one definitely takes the cake."

"Did you get any work done?" May asked, eyeing her nephew who was silent.

"Um," you glanced at Peter's open laptop on the couch, screen having gone black from no use and you quickly turned it on, but forgot about the password. "I think we got some done," you gave up with a smile, shutting the laptop.

"Some, yeah," Peter agreed.

"We should be done, we can't get distracted later." You said as you stood up, grabbing your phone from the couch.

"You-you're leaving?" Peter stood up with you and you nodded your head.

"It's getting late, I need to get home for dinner." You turned towards May. "Thank you for letting me stay over, I appreciate it,"

"If you're walking, let me go with you, so you're not alone," Peter offered but you shook your head.

"I'm fine, thanks Peter." You shot him a wide smile. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?" You felt happy, the happiest you've ever been in a really long time as he smiled back.

"Yeah. Tomorrow. Bye Y/N,"

"Bye guys," you waved as you opened the front door.

"Be safe!" You heard Peter's call after you, and you shouted back an 'I will!' from the hallway, making your way to the elevator.

"You like her, don't you?" Peter's head shot towards his aunt after he heard her ask the question.

"Wha-what?" He stammered, picking up his laptop and tucking it under his arm.

"I can see it in your eyes, don't lie to me," May smiled and tilted her head. "It's the same look Ben used to give me all the time before he told me he loved me," she added softly.

"I can't be in love with her yet," Peter started, your words running through his head. "But I do like her. Y-yeah."

May paused, glancing at the door before back at Peter. "Is she your soulmate?" May asked hesitantly, her eyes widening as she asked and Peter froze, meeting her eyes with a pleading look in his.

"She doesn't know," He sighed.

"Peter—" May started, a frown appearing on her face.

"I know! I know." He cut May off. "But we met when I was Spider-Man, a-and she's mad at me, _him_ , I can feel it. It-it's a really long story, and I'm fixing it."

"You can feel it? Peter you can feel each other's emotions? Do you know how risky it is not telling her?" May gasped. "You need to tell me everything so I can help you out with this." She put the bowl back down and sternly looked at the boy.

"But I already have a plan!" Peter assured her. "I swear, just- just trust me!"

May paused. "Be careful." She sighed, closing her eyes. "You don't want to lose her."


	11. It’s Only A Word - Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm gonna go make some more popcorn," you whispered when you realized the bowl was empty. You watched the movies religiously as opposed to Peter who said he's only seen them once or twice. Besides, the movie was almost over and you wanted to replenish before you started the next one. You could watch one more before it got too late and you had to call your mom to pick you up.
> 
> "Wait, no," He grabbed your hand and pulled you back down. "I need your warmth," 
> 
> "Peter, you know you're the one keeping me warm," you laughed but sat back down, accepting as he wrapped his hand around you and you got comfy again, resting your head on his shoulder. "You're a freaking hotbox."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...are you-is it dating?!

"Knock knock," You heard your father say before opening your bedroom door. "Breakfast is served, my liege," he announced in his best English accent before glancing up at you. 

"Thanks, I'll be there in a sec," you answered as you rushed to find your second sneaker.

"You seem...eager to get to school." He commented and you stood up, the grin you weren't apparent of until then dropping to a small smile. "Is there a reason for that?"

"A reason? What?" You scoffed, slipping your foot in and quickly tying the laces. "Nah, I just don't feel like committing murder today." Your father snorted as you grabbed your backpack and you looked at him. "What?" You asked as you followed him out to the kitchen.

"Nothing," he shrugged, shooting a small grin at you. "You're just terrible at hiding a crush. Makes sense, it is your first real one."

"Dad!" You groaned. "I don't have a crush on anyone!"

"Is that his name? I thought it was Peter." He just shrugged casually and the two of you sat down.

"It is Peter," you grumbled. "And I don't have a crush on him." You tried to assure your father, but he only glanced at you, and you knew he wasn't convinced. "I just think I might've made a friend."

"A friend you _like_."

"You know what, I'm not going to argue a ridiculous lie," you rolled your eyes, taking a bite out of your piece of toast. Although, you weren't going to argue that the possibility of having a crush on someone who wasn't your soulmate was exactly what you were looking for. You just didn't realize there was a chance it would happen so soon.

"You think I'm bad, Just wait until your mother gets wind of this." He laughed and you glared at him. "In all seriousness, are you going back to his place to finish the project today?" Your dad asked as he ate some eggs.

"No." You shook your head. "We should finish in class today, we should've had it done yesterday, it's due today."

"What stopped you from finishing?"

"Huh? Oh, we just got distracted." You replied.

"By?" You heard your father ask slowly, looking at you.

"Talking, Dad. We were talking." You shook your head, checking the time. "Oo, you were late today, cook," you stood up, shoveling a slice of bacon into your mouth as you pulled on your bag. "I gotta go,"

"Can't just blame me, you didn't remind me to start cooking earlier either," he called to you as you placed a quick kiss on his cheek then opened the apartment door.

"See you later, love you."

"Love you too!" He called back and you headed down the stairs to start walking to school,

Of course you weren't going to tell your father that you were smiling because you knew you were going to see Peter again, because that would definitely have given him the wrong impression. The two of you just seemed to _click_ pretty much one you really started talking about anything that wasn't school related. You felt so comfortable around Peter, you could be yourself, and you just wanted that feeling again. You just hoped he still wanted to talk to you after this partner project was done.

The day seemed to have gone by slower because you actually had a different incentive for making it through school other than getting home, and by the time the bell signaling 8th period went off, you made it to English class as fast as you possibly could.

A large smile appeared on your face when you saw Peter step into the room, and only widened when he spotted you, mirroring your face as he sat down in front of you.

"Work first," Peter was first to speak, opening his laptop and saying, semi-seriously, trying to hide his smile.

"Right." You agreed.

"Ready to work?"

But you started humming. "Let's get down to business," and you heard Peter laugh before joining in.

"To defeat the Huns."

"Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?" The two of you kept going before you saw a couple of classmates staring blankly at you, and the both of you shut up, stifling laughs as Peter opened up the Google Doc with your assignment.

After thirty five minutes of working in between the distractions that consisted of both you and Peter trying hard to ignore but wound up getting off topic anyway, you were finally done, and printed out your experiences in class before handing it in.

"We finished," Peter held up his hand for a high five and you happily slapped his hand.

"We finished." You sighed. "Still would've got it done so much quicker if you hadn't brought up which Hogwarts house you think you'd be in." You laughed.

"We were talking about how stupid it was for me to punch myself in the face, and if I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who said it was such a Gryffindor move!"

"But am I wrong?" You laughed. "And technically, I said it would totally be something James or Sirius would've done."

"No, no you're right." Peter agreed, smile on his face as he closed his eyes.

The two of you were silent for a minute, and in that minute you decided to do the the second riskiest thing of your entire life, probably. Ripping a piece of paper out of your notebook, you wrote down your phone number. You were about to get Peter's attention when the bell rang and you lost the courage.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Peter offered his hand to help you up because he jumped out of his seat and you took it, the feeling, familiar.

"Yeah." You agreed, giving a small smile. "See you later." You waved goodbye as the two of you went your separate ways down the hall.

You had forgotten that you had a test on the very non-fiction unit you were studying, so the second you stepped into 9th period you were shushed. Tests on Fridays always sucked, although Mondays were considerably worse.

It was about halfway through the period, and everyone was still working, but you were thinking about what you were going to do yesterday, and decided to take out that same paper and write even more on it, adding "Delmar's tomorrow, pick me up at noon?" in pen.

You took a deep breath before waiting for your teacher to look in the other direction, and then standing up enough to slip the paper onto Peter's desk in front of you. Sitting back down, nervousness filled you when you saw Peter's gaze slip from his test to the lined paper, and then he quickly glanced back at you, his eyes wide, but you stared down at your own test.

To your surprise, your paper slipped back into your sight, this time with an addition from Peter.  
  


_We could go today? After school?_

You looked up, relief in your eyes, and saw Peter nervously smiling at you and you grinned and nodded your head, just in time because your teacher made a comment about keeping your eyes on your own paper.

Was this a date? Maybe you should've specified that you just wanted to hang out. But at the same time, how much would you really oppose it being a date? But if you thought about it that way, you would just be proving your father right. So right now, no. It wasn't.

The class handed in their tests with a couple minutes of the period to go, so your teacher allowed phone use but everyone's still had to be silent. And as much as it was a surprise, it also wasn't when a text from an unknown number appeared on your screen.

Grinning up at Peter, you heard him laugh softly and you spend the rest of the class texting between the boy in front of you, and your parents to make sure it was okay if you came home later today. Of course you kept Peter's name out of it, but you were fairly certain they both knew.

Your mother had called this your fourth date with Peter as you walked out of your apartment with a large smile on your face.

You had stopped arguing with your parents about it over a week ago, because you had stopped giving yourself reasons for them not to be. As much as you didn't think it would ever happen, but you found the crush you insisted wasn't there was growing, and you were slowly falling for the boy.

Neither of you had ever said a word about them being dates, but both you and Peter knew that as the two of you cuddled under a small throw blanket and watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The a Curse of the Black Pearl, it wasn't something normal friends did.

"I'm gonna go make some more popcorn," you whispered when you realized the bowl was empty. You watched the movies religiously as opposed to Peter who said he's only seen them once or twice. Besides, the movie was almost over and you wanted to replenish before you started the next one. You could watch one more before it got too late and you had to call your mom to pick you up.

"Wait, no," He grabbed your hand and pulled you back down. "I need your warmth,"

"Peter, you know you're the one keeping me warm," you laughed but sat back down, accepting as he wrapped his hand around you and you got comfy again, resting your head on his shoulder. "You're a freaking hotbox."

"Could you really blame me if I didn't want you coming back and being ice cold, making me cold then?" He asked and the two of you started laughing again.

After a couple of minutes, you felt your feet getting cold so you pulled the blanket over some, but Peter protested, pulling it back, which, to no ones fortune, started a little blanket war.

"Come on, I need it more than you!" You whined, tugging the blanket, but Peter held on tight and when you pulled it, he fell forward and you almost collided heads. "Ow," you chuckled, feeling the what would've been pain even though it didn't happen.

"I didn't touch you!"

"Yeah, but I know the pain of hitting my head on something hard far too well so I automatically felt it." You smiled, pulling the blanket but Peter caught you and pulled it back. "Come on man! My feet are freezing!"

"Oh, in that case," you thought he was going to give it to you, but instead he grabbed as much as he could and successfully tossed the blanket to his right and away from you.

"You are so evil!" You gasped, lunging for the blanket but Peter grabbed your waist and held you back. "Come on," you laughed. "Let me go and get the thingie to cover my feet or I'll, uh,"

"You'll what?" Peter smirked daringly.

You weren't thinking when you leaned forward and kissed him, it just felt like the right thing to do in the moment. At first you thought maybe it wasn't the right choice because you felt Peter's hands let go, but then you realized it was probably the best thing you could've done when he just shifted them to a better position, placing you back down on your own spot on the couch and kissed you back.

You didn't think you could describe how you were feeling with words. The happiness in your chest was so strong, you never thought you could ever be this happy before. It was like you had enough for two people.

"Do you still want the blanket?" Peter breathlessly asked with a grin as he pulled back.

"Yes, you dork," you rolled your eyes after you opened them, just to close them again when Peter connected the two of you for a second time. You started laughing when you felt him shoot up and throw the blanket in your face, and you shot your leg out to try and kick him but he easily deflected your foot.

"Oh wow it really is freezing!" You heard him exclaim and you tried to put on a straight face the best you could.

"Believe me now?" You pulled the blanket down from your face and sat up all the way, finally covering up your feet. You smiled, and you saw May standing at the edge of the kitchen and you felt your face heat up. "Hey Ms. Parker, do you want to join us?" You looked over at the TV and saw the credits rolling. "I was thinking we could watch a Harry Potter movie next."

"Oh May's back?" Peter turned his head to face his aunt and smiled. "Yeah, you can watch with us if you want." But Peter's smile dropped when he saw the small frown on the woman's face.

"I think I'm fine, we just watched all of them a couple weeks ago," she answered you sweetly, but you could tell something was off by the look she gave Peter. "And how many times have I told you to call me May?"

"Right. May." You smiled. "I can't believe you won," you then groaned softly, standing up from the couch and yet again grabbing the empty popcorn bowl and you heard Peter laugh softly as you walked towards his aunt and the kitchen, but it was somehow different. "Oh yeah, I remember Peter telling me about your marathon." You said as May turned towards you and you refilled the bowl with the already made popcorn. Peter had a made too much the first batch and it couldn't fit in the bowl. But then, you frowned at the memory, remembering it was the day you thought he was Spider-Man.

"It took a little convincing, Peter wanted to watch Star Wars for the millionth time." You glanced over your shoulder to see May smiling. "But I got him to agree to start Harry Potter over with me, I just finished rereading the series."

"That sounds like something I do." You sighed, tucking the bowl under your arm and turning to face May. "What time did you guys go to sleep? Even if you started right after school, it takes a while to make it through all eight movies, you had to stay up past midnight."

"We actually only watched two movies Friday night," May answered. "Peter claimed he was tired around seven or so and went to bed. Honestly, I think he snuck out though." She laughed, not noticing your expression change from contentment to slight confusion. "We finished Saturday though."

"Well, the offer still stands." You held out your arm for her to hook hers in and you watched with a smile as May laughed and linked her arm in yours. "Good. I have a feeling you'll be a much better person to share a blanket with."

"What are you guys talking about?" Peter craned his neck to look over the couch when he noticed you and May walking back into the room. "I feel like you're conspiring against me already."

"Kinda was." May said after you sat down. "Scootch over," she laughed and you gave her room, tucking your legs under you, making sure to snatch up the blanket before Peter got to it, and she sat down in between the two of you like you prompted.

"I can't believe it." Peter gasped. "I seriously can't believe it. You two get along too well, you're going to drive me crazy with paranoia." He laughed and you covered up again.

"I think you should get used to it." You chuckled. "Anyone want to pick which one to watch?"

"Which is your favorite?" Peter asked, standing up and crouching down by the TV to where the movies were. "We'll watch that one." He turned his head and and looked at you with a soft smile, a smile you weren't sure if you could ever get sick of seeing.


	12. It's Only A Word - Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...There was no way you and Peter was part of his plan, that was just one of the most coincidental coincidences in history. Besides, why would Spider-Man 'set you up' with someone that wasn't him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): emotions are everywhere. Hoo...

You went home ecstatic after that night watching movies with Peter and May, but you couldn't stop your mind from generating the worst case scenarios as you were trying to sleep, keeping your eyes wide open with thought staring at the ceiling in the dark.

What if Peter found his soulmate?

Right now, it seemed like he hadn't. You thought he was just like you, because you never saw his words. He kept them covered with the long sleeves of his shirts and sweaters. Lately, you hadn't seen him without one on. You had the hopeful thought that he believed in the same thing as you, finding someone you loved and cared about without the universes' tampering. But at the same time, he also seemed inexperienced with hiding the words, like he had just made that decision. And that's what gave you doubts.

He might be happy now, but would he really go against everything everyone has been doing; spending your life with your soulmate, if he ever found them? You weren't sure if he loved you enough to do that, dammit, you weren't even sure if he loved you at all, the two of you were only teenagers. For all you knew, it just might be a phase for him, when it was your beliefs.

According to your parents, most everyone goes through that phase, dating someone who isn't your soulmate. Sometimes it's because of loneliness, sometimes it's so they could experience their firsts because they were getting impatient.

Your thoughts only got worse when you found yourself slipping your leather cuff off. You wouldn't have been able to see the black ink before, but now the gold shimmered even in the dark. It wasn't quite luminescent, but rather catching whatever light was in the dark room and reflecting it.

You frowned as you stared up at your wrist, and the thought about why the words were gold in the first place; it was because you had already met your soulmate. Were you being selfish now? If Peter was just in that phase of his life, did you really want to get invested in a relationship with all you had just to know it wasn't going to last? Should you end things with him, as much as you didn't want to, because you know he would have someone out there that was meant for him? When _you_ already had someone that was supposed to be meant for you?

You thought about how you should talk to Peter before things got serious. Maybe the two of you didn't have to stop something great that literally just started, but you owed it to him to tell him you already found your soulmate, and that if he wanted too, you wouldn't stop him from being with his.

But that kiss, even if it was your first one, you could tell it was special because of more than just that. You had never felt that happy before, and that's how you knew by planning to talk to Peter was the right choice. He had to know the full truth and the decision had to be his if you wanted to keep that happiness.

"Hey, Y/N," the voice was a whisper, but that whisper still scared you as you were sitting on the roof of you apartment complex in the quiet of the night. Well, quiet consisting of the sounds of horns and cars moving on the street below. You were going to scream, but you cut your voice off quick when you turned around to see the infamous webslinger besides you once again.

"Oh." You let out a shaky breath from your nerves being all over the place, and they calmed down. "It's only you."

"Only me?" Spider-Man asked, but then shook his head. "You know what, that doesn't matter. I need to talk to you!" You raised your eyebrow quizzically and turned around to face him, noting the excited tone of his _still_ familiar, muffled, voice.

"How's that plan of yours going?" You smiled, slightly mockingly. You hadn't seen your soulmate in over a month at this point, and seemingly nothing that could prove to you that just because they were soulmates it didn't mean they were forced to love each other. Nothing he could've done, anyway. There was no way you and Peter was part of his plan, that was just one of the most coincidental coincidences in history. Besides, why would Spider-Man 'set you up' with someone that wasn't him?

"Great actually!" He exclaimed, stepping forward and you tilted your head confusedly. "That's actually what I came to talk to you about!" Then his excited pose faltered and he sank into himself a little, and you could feel fear appear in your gut that had to be his. "I, um, please don't get mad at me?" He asked tentatively and you sighed, not noticing his hands slowly rising towards his face.

"Get mad because of what?" You shrugged and Spider-Man stopped moving. "I don't know about you, but I don'tthink whatever plan you had, worked. And actually, I need to talk to you."

"W-what?" The white eyes on his mask blinked and you began to explain.

"I-I met someone." You felt a smile tugging at the corners of your lips as your mind drifted to Peter. "I know it's crazy, but I _really_ like him. A lot." You felt Spider-Man staring at you as you kept talking. "It was like a sign in itself, I guess I could say. It's really weird, considering when it happened, so soon after I met _you_ , but at the same time it couldn't have been a better time, because this, what I have with Peter, it's exactly what I was looking for." But then the smile that made it's way onto your face dropped. "I just hope he understands." You said quietly.

"Understands?" You turned your head to face the mask. "Understand what?" It puzzled you about why he seemed so confused, but then again, about almost everything puzzled you at this point.

"I think you should know about this too," you sighed, motioning for Spider-Man to come closer so you wouldn't have to speak so loudly. "I'm going to tell Peter. About you, I mean."

"What?"

"He's never really asked," you started. "But he deserves to know that I already met my soulmate. Met you." You glanced at him. "Actually," you frowned. "I don't think we've ever talked about our soulmates at all." You shook your head, dismissing the thought. "It's just, he hasn't met his yet, and I just want him to know that when he does, it is okay for him to leave."

"L-leave? What? No!" You were taken aback by the sudden eruption of his tone.

"Well, when he finds his soulmate, most people do, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone not, I don't want him to feel bad. I want him to know that if he wants to be with her- or even him, who knows- that he can do that. Because- because I don't want to be in this for the long run without clarifying what his plans are exactly. I don't know if this is just something to help with the wait for him- although Peter doesn't seem like the kind of person to do that, or he truly feels the same way I do."

There was a small moment of silence before Spider-Man spoke hesitantly. "And how do you feel?"

"Honestly?" You smiled, your eyes meeting the whites on his mask. "Like he was my unwritten soulmate." You answered truthfully, your smile turning into a sad one. "I just really want to figure everything out before I let myself completely fall for him, because I already did. I-I don't want to tell him yet, gods no, it's way too soon, but if this lasts and we stay together..." you softly shook your head as you trailed off, letting out a breath of disbelief before looking back up. "I'm in love with him. There's no doubt about that."

"Oh wow," You could basically hear the smile in his voice. But then, he took a step back and the fear in your stomach worsened, the feeling almost sickening.

"What's wrong?" You asked. He had to truly be scared of something happening if you were feeling it to this extent. "Ugh, I really hate this," you mumbled, glancing down, talking about the shared feelings.

"I-I'm sorry," was all he said before shooting a web and jumping off the roof.

"Hey! Wait!" You called after him as he swung away, but he didn't turn around, instead continuing in any direction away from you. Guilt rolled over you, because this is how he must've felt when you did this to him.

You'd been dancing around the topic with Peter. As weren't afraid to admit that you were afraid about how that certain conversation would go. He seemed fine in school, at first a little tense when you saw him the next day, but after that, he seemed normal again.

What you _didn't_ want to admit, was that you started searching for Spider-Man on your walks home from school. His fear still hadn't disappeared, and you were starting to get worried for him. You wanted to know what it was, and if you could help him in any way to make it go away, because it sucked having his fear in the pit of your stomach all the time.

It was an unusually hot spring day, the sun high in the sky and harshly shining down in the cloudless sky. It was like summer came months early as you walked down the street, squinting up with your hand shielding your eyes from the light at the skyscrapers for the Spider-Man.

You sighed as you wiped away a bead of sweat, taking shelter in the air conditioned Delmar's Deli-Grocery as you walked by, carefully crossing the street and opening the door, glancing at the newly reopened bank across the street before walking in.

"Y/N?" You heard Mr. Delmar ask as you came into his view and you smiled. "It's been a while since you stopped in."

"Hey Mr. Delmar," you walked up to the counter. "Yeah, I've been pretty busy with school." You said apologetically.

"That's alright," he waved his hand and smiled. "You just missed Peter actually, he came and got his usual."

"Really?" You hummed, remembering the time you and Peter stopped here after school before the two of you had gone to your apartment to work on the English project for the first time out of school together. That's probably what he was thinking of too.

"He was talking about you actually," you watched as the man smirked. "I'm happy you're dating, from what I gathered, you seem perfect for each other."

"Thanks." You laughed. "Yeah, me too."

"You getting your usual?" He asked as he turned around and you nodded your head and listen to him tell his cousin in Spanish to start gathering ingredients for your sandwich. "Are you and Peter soulmates?"

You hesitated before answering. "In a way, yeah,"

"In a way?" Delmar questioned as he wrapped your food. "No candy today?" You shook your head no as you handed him a five dollar bill.

"It's a little complicated." You answered, picking up your food in the bag he handed it to you in. "How's your daughter?"

"Nothing but straight A's and the new president of the debate club," he smiled proudly.

"That's great! Tell her I said hi, and to keep it up." You waved goodbye as you headed back to the door, making sure to give Murph a light scratch before walking out.

"I will,"

As you started walking again, you decided to pull out your phone and text Peter about how you just missed paths before continuing your search. You weren't expecting your phone to buzz so soon with a reply from Peter, asking if you wanted to take a detour through the nearby park on your way home.

You waited a second before replying with a yes. You'd been looking for Spider-Man for three days now, you could give yourself a break. Sitting down and waiting at the bench at the corner for Peter a block away from the park, you started to eat.

"Hey! It's Spider-Man!" A child's excited voice made your head shoot up in their direction, just in time for you to see the blur of red and blue seemingly drop down into an alley not too far away.

You stood up, but then stopped. You were there waiting for Peter, and you didn't want him to show up and you not be there. But at the same time, this was the closest you'd come to finding Spider-Man and you didn't want to give up the chance.

Groaning, you urged yourself to be quick as you speed walked down the sidewalk, peeking into every alley on your way to try and find the masked hero, but you'd already gone a block with no luck.

"Hey, where are you going?" You heard Peter laugh and your head spun to the right to see Peter standing right in front of you. He seemed to have been walking from up the street, which you found weird because the way for him to get home was the other direction. "Park's the other way."

"I was just," you sighed, closing your eyes. "I was just looking for Spider-Man," you answered truthfully.

"Why?" Peter asked nervously, and you just shrugged the question off, turning around and looking at him as you took his hand.

"I'll tell you later. Let's go?"

The two of you had stopped and sat at the base of a big oak tree in the middle of the park and just started talking. It was peaceful there, not many people were around where you were sitting.

You had tried to ignore it, but there was too much sweat building up under your leather band, and you tried your best to take it off and wipe your wrist and the band, letting it air out for a second before slipping it back on while Peter was distracted and chuckling at a couple of squirrels. But the action made you glance at Peter's own wrist, and your mind drifted back to the topic you'd been avoiding and decided that maybe you should try and ease into it.

"Hey Pete?" You asked softly, and the boy turned his head to face you.

"Yeah?" He answered, but you paused as the both of you relished in the cool breeze that came through, you watching as Peter's brown hair moved slightly and his eyes closed as the sun highlighted the side of his face.

"Do you wear long sleeves to hide your soulmate words?" You asked hesitantly and watched as his eyes widened a little. So much for easing into it.

"Uh, yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"You should get something like this," you flopped your arm with the cuff down on your lap. "So you don't have to feel like you're living in hell on days like this," it felt weird talking about this with Peter, because you hadn't talked about soulmates with him, but you started and you didn't want to chicken out yet.

"Oh. Yeah. Maybe," You saw your words had make him slightly uncomfortable and a small amount of regret filled you as he tugged on his left sleeve.

"Do you not want anyone to see them?" You questioned in a soft voice. You weren't sure if you wanted to hear the answer.

"I didn't want you to see them," Peter answered after a moment and you stared at him.

"What? Why?" You shifted, turning more to face him.

"Um," you waited for him to finish, his expression uncertain. "Because... I already met her?"

You blinked, the meaning of his words setting in real quick. "You met your soulmate?" Peter nodded, glancing nervously at you, and you looked down for a moment before meeting his eyes. "Oh. I um, I met mine too," you told him, but his face stayed the same. As if it wasn't news to him. The air around you had become awkward, but you kept going. "She's okay with you? W-with me?"

"That kinda a long story?" Peter looked away, like he couldn't look at you anymore, and you gasped as you felt your heart start to race, the fear that's been there for almost a week getting stronger, and you looked at Peter with wide eyes.

You wanted to know who Spider-Man was, you just never thought it would be like this.

Everything started to make sense, how stupid you were for not realizing it sooner. The voice, Peter's words always being hidden, the lack of soulmate talking. The amounts of times you've felt the happiest you've ever been in your life, it really was because it was enough for two people. Seeing Spider-Man just now, and finding Peter in nearly the same place. Meeting Peter after Spider-Man wasn't a coincidence. No, it was his plan.

You felt your heart drop, and you knew Peter did too by the way his head and gaze snapped to you, and you leaned back away from him.

"Y/N—" you cut him off.

"Tell me right now, that if I look, I won't see my words on your wrist." You stated shakily, grasping at something, looking for one thing that could prove Peter and your soulmate weren't the same person. You had thought you ruled out that possibility.

"I'm so sorry, Y/N," Peter started and you tried to swallow the lump in your throat, inching away before you stood up completely, the boy following your action. "I-I-I tried to tell you, I swear, I was going to tell you! I just got to scared that you would- would—"

"What? Be angry? Hurt?" Your own emotions were a mix of that right now, but you couldn't really tell which ones were even yours anymore, still feeling Peter's fear, and now panic, you couldn't tell what one to focus on. "Dammit Peter, I can't believe you did this!" The emotions were overwhelming. It felt like someone was squeezing your lungs, making it hard to breathe, and like someone had punched you in the gut and a put a weight in your stomach.

"You said- Y/N, you said you were just waiting for something to show you that these words," he lifted up his wrist and pulled down his sleeve a little, the gold shining brightly against his skin, catching the sunlight and becoming almost blinding. "That they were just words. Just a push in the right direction."

"Yeah, but Peter, that doesn't change the fact that you actively lied to me!"

"I didn't lie, I avoided the full truth." Your face fell flat and Peter took a step towards you, desperation in his voice. "Y/N, you didn't know it was _me_ , that's what I'm trying to say. That's what my plan was! I wanted you to see that they really were a push. You didn't know it was me, and-and you fell in love with me! Isn't that what you were looking for?"

You shook your head, closing your eyes so you wouldn't have to see the hopeful smile on Peter's face. "No, Peter," you said slowly. "I can't even be sure about how I feel about you anymore, because I can literally feel what _you_ feel." You started taking steps back and you saw Peter smile drop as you opened your eyes. "I don't know if what I feel for you is because I truly feel that way about you, or if it's really because we're soulmates and there is no escaping what you're supposed to feel for them, or if the universe really has no control over how you may feel emotionally and I've been feeling _your_ love for _me_ the entire time, because if you can't tell, I can feel what you're feeling! U-under all of this anger and confusion and fear and sadness and whatever the hell else there is, I can feel _your_ hopefulness."

"Wait," Peter stepped towards you but you turned around and started walking away again. "Y/N, wait! Please!"

"Leave me alone," you whispered, your voice wavering now from tears of both anger and sadness. "I need to be alone. I need to think." You hesitated before glancing back and speaking one last time. "I don't want to see you right now."


	13. It's Only A Word - Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Okay," she sighed. "So you're not sure if anything you feel for Peter is real, huh?" To your surprise, your mother smiled briefly before continuing. "So how about you figure it out?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The path to forgiveness is a (partially) happy one

How could you have not seen Peter was Spider-Man? Peter Parker was your soulmate?

The clues were all right there, a fool could've put the pieces together days, _weeks_ , before you did. As you sat in your room, wildly thinking it over, your best rational idea was that you thought you had already ruled Peter out in your suspect list of who could be the Spider-Man, when he said the day you not so subtlety questioned what he was doing that Friday night, and he answered with the Harry Potter marathon with his aunt.

But even that was a clue, because May herself said how they didn't even finish that night, and she thought he snuck out. Of course he did, because Peter went to go see you.

"Y/N, sweetie, are you okay?" You heard your mother softly say as she knocked on your bedroom door.

It had been her day off today, and your father was working. She thought you were going to be out a little longer, you had told her your plans- that would've been- with Peter, and you could tell she set up to have some down time; a bowl of popcorn next to her on the couch while she was wearing comfortable clothes and drinking a small glass of wine as one of her favorite shows was on the TV when you burst into the apartment with no warning.

Tears had been streaming down your face still when she saw you, but you had calmed down the sobbing on your rushed walk there. You were mad at yourself you were even crying in the first place. She saw you because you had paused when you felt her eyes on you, but you didn't say a word and instead wiped your eyes and headed to your room.

"No," you admitted quietly, and she opened the door to peek her head in, and upon seeing your reddened, tear brimmed eyes, and you on the floor against the wall to the left of your bedroom door instead of your bed, she frowned and invited herself in, sitting silently besides you. She waited for to speak, but she could see the indecisive look on your face. You weren't sure what to say— what you _could_ say, as much as you wanted too.

"What happened?" She asked in a patient and caring voice. You were still hesitating, trying to figure out what words to speak. You hadn't realized you had your hand unconsciously covering covering your cuff. The action was just your hand over your wrist to keep your arms together around your knees, and something did feel off, but yet again, everything was off. But your mother saw this, and her face went blank before a tiny lightbulb of a guess went off. "Did you meet your soulmate, Y/N?" She asked softly.

You inhaled shakily before slipping off the leather, letting it drop to the ground with a soft thud, and letting your mother read the shining gold words that were perfectly placed around your wrist.

"Yeah," you whispered. "I did." As you wiped them, you saw out of the corner of your eye your mothers light up, but she kept her excitement understandably trivial at the moment. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you,"

"Oh, that's okay," she mumbled, glancing one last time at your wrist before gently pushing your hand down. "What happened, honey?"

You turned your head to face her, sniffling a little as you tried to compose yourself. "I-I really don't want to waste your me time—"

"You're more important, and you know that," your mom pursed her lips, stopping your protests and looking you in the eyes, waiting for you to continue.

Letting out a soft sigh, you spoke. "I met him a while ago, before...Peter?" You cringed, closing your eyes. "He was just like everyone else, he wanted me, his _soulmate,_ but he didn't know about _me,_ about what I wanted. I just left.

Then I met Peter. Well, technically, I already knew him, but I really met him. And... and he turned out to be everything I ever wanted." You paused, glancing at your mother, who was staring at you with both concerned and confused expressions. "I really fell for him, Mom, at least, that's what I thought."

"What do you mean?" She shook her head. "Did Peter meet his soulmate? Is that what's going on?"

"No, Mom, _I'm_ Peter's soulmate." You explained.

"How?" You could sense the confusion rolling off of her.

"It's really complicated to explain, but when I met him, I didn't know it was him. I didn't know it was Peter, is what I'm trying to say. He was sort of, disguised."

"Wait," Your mom paused, and you turned your head to look at her. "Correct me if I'm wrong, by all means, but from what you've said, you met your soulmate— Peter, but didn't know it was him. Peter knew it was you, and intentionally kept that particular knowledge from you the entire time you've worked together in school, and gone out after?"

You blinked. "Y-yeah." You nodded your head. "And I was so dumb, not seeing the truth. He gave himself away so many times, but I never saw it." Of course you never saw it. You didn't want Peter to be Spider-Man, you wanted him to be the boy you've wanted since you could understand and grasp the entire concept of soulmates; a person who defied the unwritten rule of love at first sight with the one person you were 'meant to be' with. "Peter's my soulmate."

"You just found out, didn't you." Her question was more of a statement, you nod of agreement just proving her fact to be right. Your mother frowned again, this time, deeper. You knew this had to be a lot to hear, and you were glad she wasn't overreacting.

"I left him there again. At the park." You shook your head. "I-I'm angry, but I'm also, what's the word?"

"Conflicted." She finished for you. "That day you were researching soulmates? It was never for school, was it? You and Peter are connected, aren't you?"

"Emotionally," you simply answered back. "We can feel each other's emotions. That was the day i first talked to him, the day these words turned gold. I couldn't figure out why I felt so- so sad, so I looked it up."

"That was over a month ago, Y/N," she began in an slightly annoyed voice, but caught her tone and sighed.

"I wanted- I wanted to believe that I could find love that wasn't my soulmate, and Peter showed me that. So I latched on to him, because I could feel myself falling, and he seemed to be the same way. We-we _kissed_ , Mom, I really thought he was the answer I've been waiting for all of my life, and I truly thought he felt the same. I was happy."

"Y/N—"

"Now everything I thought was a lie." You swallowed hard, your anger rising again. "I don't even know if anything I feel- felt? For Peter is true, because I could've just as easily been feeling how he felt for me. I-I—"

"Y/N, stop." Your mother ordered, softly, but firmly. "You're lucky it's me you're talking to, and not your father, because he wouldn't have a clue." She smiled sympathetically. "I think you need to calm down, take a few breathes, and I'll help you think this over. I know this is a lot for you, and it's overwhelming. Even more so if you have all of Peter's emotions in there as well, so, can you do that for me?" You paused before nodding your head, taking a large breath and exhaling. And then another. And another. "Good. Now, is there anything else you want to tell me before I offer my advice?" She asked softly.

You thought about it, and there wasn't much more that came to mind that didn't include Spider-Man, so you just shook your head.

"Okay," she sighed. "So you're not sure if anything you feel for Peter is real, huh?" To your surprise, your mother smiled briefly before continuing. "So how about you figure it out?"

"But how?" You began, and she cut you off before you could continue protesting.

"Keep track. Of everything. Write down anytime you feel an emotion you're sure isn't yours, and write down every time you think of Peter, no matter in what way, and write down your emotions, as well, As long as you don't forget to date and time them, you'll be on your way to having good research you can study from."

"What...what would it help?"

"If one of Peter's positive emotions correlates with you thinking positively of him, then the thought is most likely caused by him."

"But if they're not,"

"Then it's proof towards you really are meant to be," she finished. "Even though he hid you were soulmates from you for weeks, he had to have some kind of reason. Do you know?"

You bit your lip. "I might've mentioned to him, that if I didn't know he was my soulmate— this was before I knew it was Peter— that maybe we could be together." You turned your head to look at your hands. "So, his reasoning, was that he wanted to prove that _we_ still could happen. Because I didn't know it was him."

"Okay." You looked back over to see your mother nodding her head. You could tell she still had questions, she was a scientist, her entire job encourages her to question everything to find answers, but she kept them to herself. "So does this sound like a good plan?"

"Yeah- yeah." You agreed. "But, what if it doesn't work? What if the data doesn't show one way or the other?"

"Then I guess the decision is yours." Your mom stood up, and you tracked her with your eyes. "I know you've been waiting for someone to show you that true love can happen and isn't forced upon soulmates, for tangible proof, proof that I sadly can't give you. The choice is yours to make, you can either move on with, or without Peter." She smiled sadly. "He's a good kid though, Y/N, and I really doubt he did this to hurt you. But I'll repeat: you _are_ only kids. You have your entire life out in front of you. Take your time, and be sure."

"Yeah," you breathed, your eyes falling back to your wrists.

"We can talk more about this later, I'll make sure to fill in your father. Until then, you're welcome to join me, I've got popcorn, and—"

"Do you love him?" You blurted, interrupting your mother. "Dad, I mean." You shook your head. "Do you love Dad?"

Your mom tenderly smiled at you and she bent down to push your hair behind your ear. "I really do love your father, sweetie," she met your eyes. "Maybe at first, it was only because we thought we had to, but as time passed, we saw that we were the other half we always needed, and together, we're whole. We're complete opposites if you hadn't noticed," you laughed a little. "And we're even more so when we were younger, but we also compliment and balance each other out." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I truly believe that the universe," she nodded her head before she finished her sentence. "It really does know what it's doing. There are just some questions that can't be answered, and that's okay, Y/N," She smiled one last time before kissing your forehead and then leaving your room, softly closing the door behind her and leaving you to decide what your next move was going to be.

Peter's fear was almost unbearable.

It wasn't normal fear, no, you knew that, it was fear because he as scared of losing you.

It was his most dominate emotion, you've figured out. The others being anger and regret. Guilt and sadness. You seemed to be feeling all of what he was feeling all the time, instead of at random. You figured it was because you unmasked the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man; kind of a more knowledge equals more insight kind of thing. That was of course, viewing it from a scientific perspective.

You'd taken your mother's advice and began writing down everything. Not quite like a journal, you kept that separate, but more like data entries. Every hour or so, unless his emotions spiked, which normally resulted in yours doing the same, you would do a quick update to see if anything has changed. It took everything you had to not force yourself to think of Peter, so you found ways to distract yourself.

Your father had found you and your Mom balled up together on the couch sleeping, the middle of a Supernatural episode playing when he came home. You'd stayed home the next day as well. It was a Friday anyway, and you weren't too sure if you were quite ready to see Peter yet.

He's texted you, and called once or twice, but you had kept away from your phone, instead distracting yourself with TV and books, doing basically everything you normally would do minus the use of your phone before you met Peter.

During that time, you also watched your parents, every face they made at each other, both playful and how they looked when the other wasn't watching. You noticed how free they were, how comfortable, how trusting they were when they were together. It was just like how free and comfortable and trusting you felt when you were with Peter

Your mind was a mess, and you felt guilty that you were also sharing your emotions with Peter. It was two sided, you felt his and he felt yours. But through the mess, there was a memory, clear as day, that forced itself into your mind seemingly out of nowhere.

You and Peter sat together, quiet, soft music coming from May as she attempted to cook in the kitchen. You were pretending to be mad at Peter after he'd grabbed your book before you were finished, and refused to speak to him until you were done with the chapter, which was only a page.

Peter had given up on trying to stop you from finishing before you were done, and sat back on the couch. But instead of picking up his phone while he waited, he smiled because of you and stared between his hands and at you. You could feel and see the glances he snuck at you, and they felt like more than just because they were checking to see if you were done. He was looking at _you_. A large smile appeared on your face as you started mimicking his actions, and soon, the two of you were both grinning kids who couldn't stop staring at the other.

You remembered how truly perfect that memory felt to you, how happy you were being idiots together, and you thought about how much you wanted to experience a moment like that again. But not just a moment like that, a moment like that again, with Peter. Not anyone else, only Peter. Before your brain could crush it with the present, you wrote it down, like you had been writing everything down. The exact memory, every feeling you felt that day, and felt now.

You thought maybe, just maybe, there was the chance that you could experience moments like that with him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not-So Fun Fact: I had to rewrite the entire end of this chapter because I forgot to save it, and it sucked so much because it's not the same as what I originally had, but I tried my best to fix it. It could've been worse.
> 
> Also, I’m uploading every day now until further notice. Honestly, I just get really bored waiting for my scheduled upload days all for just like three clicks.


	14. It's Only A Word - Part Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no positive emotion coming from Peter at all, at least none you could detect.
> 
> It was unnerving. Even though you never really knew him, the times you've noticed the boy he was always so inviting, happy and optimistic when people talked to him; except at the end of last year. And now, now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys...it's a small knife!

You stared down at your phone; Peter's last text:

_I'm sorry._

It was after three other consecutive messages, all of them theming around an apology, and you hadn't looked at them until now.

You didn't know how much of the regret you were feeling was yours, but that was an emotion front and center of your brain, right alongside anger. Even if last night was the first and only time you'd thought of wanting to be with Peter again, that was only one time, and you weren't still completely sure. You were still mad, and you had the right to be. But every time your anger flared up, you hated feeling the remorse from Peter

You weren't sure how seeing Peter again would go yet, but it was Monday, and Midtown School of Science and Technology wasn't a school where missing too many days would be easy to make up, it was so fast paced.

"I thought you said you were certain you were going to find your soulmate before Prom, Jonah," A girl behind you laughed, and you rolled your eyes and took a deep breath as you sat and focused on the work you missed on Friday during your study hall, trying to ignore the group of seniors behind you.

"Yeah, man," a guy said. "You're the only one left. Think he's in a different state or something?"

"Shut up guys," you could only guess it was Jonah who mumbled, you _were_ trying to ignore the conversation.

"But you're going to be the only one if us without a soulmate slash date!" The girl argued. "It's only a couple months away. Do you think that's enough time?"

"Sadie's right, because Alex and Delaney are together, so are Jacob and Adaline, and if you hadn't noticed, me and this perfect girl right here,"

"Yeah. I've noticed." Jonah groaned. "Can you just stop bothering me about it?"

"Nope! Because I want my best friend to have the best senior prom of his life. Why? Are you turning into that sophomore girl we've heard about who doesn't want a soulmate?" The guy chuckled and you froze.

"Kevin, stop." Jonah said harshly, and Kevin scoffed.

"What was her name? Babe, do you know?" He pressed.

"Shut up Kev," Sadie whispered, and you felt eyes on you. You didn't want to turn around, you didn't want them to see how it was affecting you.

"What?"

" _She's right there!_ "

The three seniors went silent and you prayed they would move on. Your thoughts were yanked to Peter because of them, despite the measures you'd gone to to try and keep him out of your mind so you wouldn't worry about 9th period until it got them. Of all days you couldn't find your earbuds to tune out your surroundings. At least they brought to you attention again just how annoying people were.

You calmed down the irritation that was rising and took a deep breath, closing your eyes, but your moment was interrupted.

"Hey, Y/N?" Sadie or Jonah must've told Kevin your name, because the older boy was leaning over his chair to get your attention. You slowly turned your head to face him. "You- you heard that, didn't you?"

"Not like there was an option to ignore." You tried to keep your voice as flat and emotionless as you could.

"Look, I'm sorry," he frowned when you shook your head, cutting him off.

"It's fine. Whatever." You stood up and walked away, to the teacher who was overseeing the study hall. "Can I go the library please?"

There was no positive emotion coming from Peter at all, at least none you could detect.

It was unnerving. Even though you never really knew him, the times you've noticed the boy he was always so inviting, happy and optimistic when people talked to him; except at the end of last year. And now, now.

You weren't sure what to do by the time English rolled around, it had seemed like a lifetime of waiting, the day had gone by so slow.

You had hesitated before you sat down, unsure if you wanted to sit in your usual seat or not before deciding against the thought, taking your normal seat by the windows. You had thought it seemed petty to sit somewhere different just because of Peter.

That's obviously not what Peter felt. You'd noticed when he walked into the classroom, your head seemingly involuntarily turning to see him, and before you could look away, he caught your eyes. It only lasted a second before he broke away, a blank look on his face as he turned to the left instead of continuing forward towards you and took a seat in the back.

The air seemed thick now that he was here, and you knew it was because of the unresolved issue between you two.

"Happy Monday everyone!" Your teacher cheerfully announced. "Why so many frowns? You guys are almost out of here!"

"But it's _Monday_ ," some kid argued and the class groaned in agreement.

Your teacher let out a small sigh but his smile didn't disappear until his eyes saw you. You were confused for a second until you saw his eyes flicker to the empty desk in front of you, and then to Peter on the other side of the room behind you.

His reaction was over as soon as it started, like it never even happened, and in your mind you wanted to think it didn't and in response, you dropped your head to your desk and closed your eyes, waiting for class directions.

"So I think I want to start a new unit today, but first, I want to return your graded partner reports." Your teacher said, and you heard the classes reaction and the teacher start to move around the room, and soon, you saw his shadow stop in front of you and you lifted your head to see him place the papers down, an A+ in the top left corner. "You guys are great together," he commented quietly, for only you to hear before moving on. Even you could tell his words meant more than just school wise.

After a minute, you risked looking at Peter. You didn't know how you hadn't noticed his eyes already on you, maybe they weren't for long, but the second you looked over at him, he looked away like he wasn't just staring at you. You wondered if Mr. Cliffe said the same comment to him.

Wednesday was the first test on the new unit, Poetry and literary devices. The test was just on the basics of different types of poems, how many lines each stanza does a haiku have, and the difference between a simile and metaphor, stuff like that, and you knew it would be a piece of cake.

Walking into class, you took a seat right behind the door. You wanted Peter to sit where he normally did, because you remembered him talking about how much he loved it there, all for the same reasons you did. You started to blame yourself for Peter's emotions, and lack of them getting any better, besides the occasional roller coster thrill feeling in your stomach that totally caught you by surprise, and you assumed that meant he was swinging around as Spider-Man. At least he was still going out to be the hero. You almost screamed the first time you felt that, you weren't expecting it, but after the first half hour, you got used to it.

You saw the look of confusion on Peter's face when he walked in, but you felt yourself smile a little when he actually took the seat, tearing your eyes away before he caught you again.

Neither of you had made the attempt to communicate this week, Peter's texts still left on read in your phone. Your mother and asked you once, last night, how things were going, and you answered very vaguely. You knew she told your dad, but you could tell he figured it would be best to offer some advice ("follow your gut") and then stay out of it. Although, the both of them were very supportive.

Like you had thought, the test was simple enough, an easy A for anyone who paid attention to the lessons. You finished with a satisfied sigh, closing your eyes and stretching before relaxing back into your seat.

At least you thought it was easy; your eyebrows furrowed down when you glanced around the room, settling on Peter because it was bound to happen, and you saw him struggling. Peter was super smart, you knew that, the entire sophomore class knew that, so the only way he would be having any trouble if he had any at all, would be because he wasn't paying attention these last two days. You immediately felt bad, because if he didn't pay attention, it was probably because of you.

You watched in silence as Peter focused hard on the question in front of him. His face was contorted from concentration, his hand anxiously bouncing his pen back and forth in his hand as he tried to figure it out.

You hadn't realized you were staring for longer than a couple of seconds until a chill ran through your body. Looking back, you realized what you had gotten distracted by: the shine in his brown eyes you could see from across the room from his wracking his brain for the answer, his untamed eyebrow, sticking in a weird direction from concentrating. His tongue poking out slightly from the corner of his mouth for the same reason.

You had seen him make the same face multiple times before, as you were doing homework together, and you always got caught up by it, the same thought running through your brain every time: how could Peter always look so cute no matter what face he was making?

Another chill made goosebumps appear on your body, if it even was that. It was more of a, warm chill, if you could call it that. Sneakily pulling out your phone, you held it under your desk as you clicked on Peter's contact and quickly typed out a text, only waiting a moment before sending it. You were lucky that he saw his phone screen light up in his pocket, because the notification would've been otherwise silent, and he decided to check it right then.

Peter looked up and found you, a look of surprise on his face as well as the feeling appear in your chest from him, and the two of you made eye contact. You gave him a small smile of encouragement, which hopefully paired well the encouraging text you sent, before looking away to give him the time he needs to finish the test.

You felt yourself smiling to yourself when you felt Peter's hope again, but it disappeared when it was shrouded again in fear.

"Where are you- where are you going?" You heard your mom ask as you rushed around the living room to find your other sneaker.

"Um," you answered. "To find Peter?"

"What?" She shared just as much confusion as your father. Your decision had been split and hastily thought through, but that's exactly what you were going to do. Or try to do.

"Y/N, it's almost dark out," Your father began, but you cut him off.

"I know! I know, I'll try not to stay out too long." You answered quickly, grinning for a millisecond as you found your second sneaker under the couch. "I just, I think somethings wrong."

"Wait," your dad stopped you, grabbing your jacket before you could put it on. "Do you think he's in trouble?" You stopped and thought about it. If Peter was in trouble, it wouldn't be a normal trouble. If he was Spider-Man right now, which was nightly probable, it could be a matter of life and death.

"Yeah." You answered breathlessly. You were running out of breath only because Peter was. "I-I I have to see if he's okay."

"Let us go with you then," Your dad said, giving you your jacket and grabbing his keys.

"No!" You shouted but cleared your throat. "N-no, It's fine, I'll be fine."

"Y/N," your mother started, "we don't want you getting hurt,"

"I promise, if there's any danger, I'll run the other way if there's no way I can help." You said to them, nodding your head and backing towards the door. "I swear," you opened the door.

"Y/N—"

"I love you! Bye!" You shouted to them as you slipped out the door and ran outside as fast as you could.

You'd been walking down the streets looking for Peter, but mainly Spider-Man. You couldn't think of anything but just a couple hours ago, when you had actually worked up the courage to call Peter.

You were going to apologize for everything, because you really were sorry, and you knew he was too. But you also wanted to hear what else he had to say before you stopped him.

You called once, and he hung up. At that moment, while you were disappointed, you realized it was exactly how Peter felt when you did the same thing. You weren't going to try again until you felt the hesitation in Peter, and sad to say, you took advantage of it, calling him again, and this time he picked up.

But you weren't even able to get a word in before you heard a scream on the other end and Peter's voice hurriedly saying "I gotta go," before hanging up. You were stunned in your spot on your bed and you were going to give up, but ten minutes later, Peter's emotions hit you like a brick; he was scared. And not the normal fear he's had of you, no, this was different. Something was wrong.

As you were looking down the alleyways, thinking maybe you could find him there, you thought about calling him again. But then the thought of him maybe fighting for his life, maybe calling and distracting him wouldn't be the best idea. You just prayed you could find him in time, because you never wanted to know what it felt like in real life what it was to lose a soulmate. Not after reading all about it.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself. You were pretty sure you were the only one panicking at this point, but you set out to find Peter, and that's what you were going to do, one way or another.

Turning onto the next street, you continued your search, looking up at the taller buildings and skyscrapers he would use to swing from, and still in the dark alleys.  
You were slowly running out of hope that you would find him, New York was huge, and you were only one person. You didn't have webslingers, or repulsors to travel faster.

Peeking your head into the upcoming alley, you almost jumped when you came face to face with an actual person. You calmed your heart and apologized to the man before continuing walking away. You didn't want to think the worse, but it was the only thing you thought of as your heart sped up when you heard the footsteps behind you.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. This is not what you needed right now. You didn't look back, you knew that man was following you, and you didn't speed up just yet. You kept walking until the traffic slowed enough for you to cross the street, where it was busier.

On the other side, you glanced back and smiled briefly to yourself in triumph, the man stayed on the other side where the sidewalk was basically deserted. You let out a breath of relief but at the same time, you froze. You glanced back at the man as you started walking again, but he had already moved onto a new target, a young man a block or so ahead of him who looked like he was already panicking, and he was quickly closing in.

You watched with wide eyes as you saw the guy grab him by the arm and whisper something in his ear that made the man go white, and then the two of them turn into a dark alley and off the sidewalk.

"Dammit, I'm sorry Mom, Dad," you mumbled as you crossed the street again. "Allfather, give me power," You balled your fists as you walked into the shadow filled alley, because you weren't going to let this guy get away with getting someone because you were smart.

"Please, I-I'm just heading home, I just got laid off, I really don't have any money!" The man begged, and you saw him white as a ghost as the mugger held a knife to his throat against the wall and you crept as silently as you could forward.

"If you have no money, how about that ring then, hm?"

"No! Please! That's my wedding ring!"

"If you don't want to get hurt and get back to your wife, I suppose you'll make the right choice and hand it over, yeah?"

"T-take my wallet!" You picked up a suitably heavy rock from the ground and got a good grasp on it. "You want my watch? You can have that too. Just leave me with my ring! Please!"

"He's not taking anything." You stated, getting the men's attention after you had got close enough, and before the mugger could react, you hit him as hard as you could in the head with the rock.

But you didn't think it was nearly hard enough because he only stumbled back in pain, grimacing in pain and he turned towards you. The other man ran without even the smallest thank you, and you started to step back, away from the mugger and towards the opening to the sidewalk, rock still in your hands.

You sped up, chucking the rock at the mugger, but he somehow caught it and threw it down at his feet, taking two big steps and catching up to you in no time and grabbing your arm tightly, pulling you to him with a large smirk on his face.

"Look who it is," he deflected your other arm and stopped your attempt of punching him, holding the same sharp switchblade to your throat.

"Look man, I don't have anything either," you truthfully said. "I'm actually really crazy, like psycho, so for your own well-being, I think you might want to let me go." You gritted, trying to pull your arm from where it was being bound by his hand

"You're just a little girl," he sneered.

"Yeah, but I watch movies," you shrugged, and before he had time to see, you punched the man as hard as you could in the gut, making him hunch over slightly but not let go.

"You have to try a little harder than—" you stomped down as hard as you could on his foot, and kept your cool as much as you could. He groaned and looked up at you, which was a mistake because your fist was ready to meet the bridge of his nose, and you kept your cringe to a minimum as you felt the pain in your hand from punching him and the the crunch of his cartilage snapping. Last but not least, after he let go of your wrist, you kneed him and prayed he never wanted kids before jumping back, watching him crumple to the ground and his knife go skidding across the asphalt.

You were breathing heavy, adrenaline rushing through you, and you stumbled back when you knew for sure he wasn't going to get up. You quickly turned away, and you started to run, but stopped when you ran into someone else, almost colliding into them if they hadn't grabbed you by your shoulders.

You were about to scream and attack again, when you noticed exactly who it was; Spider-Man staring straight into your eyes, the white eyes of his mask as wide as they possibly could go.

"H-hi." You said softly, a weak smile on your face before it disappeared.

"Y/N!" He glanced behind you. "What were you thinking! You could've got hurt! You could've—" the mugger behind you groaned, and Peter didn't hesitate to web him to the ground.

"I, uh, I couldn't let that other guy get hurt," you argued.

"I was already on my way though!" Peter exclaimed and you glanced down at the ground.

"Well, I got here first." You frowned. "He could've at least said thanks,"

You weren't expecting Peter to hug you tightly, the action taking you by surprise. "You could've _died_." Slowly, you wrapped your arms around him and reciprocated the hug, your heart dropping at his words.

"I-I'm sorry. For everything, I really am," you said softly into his shoulder, and you felt him grab onto you tighter with one arm but let go with the other.

"Are you holding on?"

"What?" You asked before you felt your feet leave the ground, and you gasped and held on tighter to Spider-Man's neck as he swung the two of you up onto a higher and more private place. "You are _so_ lucky I'm already used to that!" You almost yelled, but then wound up laughing a little.

When you landed, that's when you finally felt everything else that you hadn't before. The pain in your hand that fully set it, and then the relief, both yours and Peter's.


	15. It's Only A Word - Part Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You went out—" Peter blinked and you shifted a little uncomfortably. "You went out to find me because you thought I was dying?"
> 
> "You act like I want you dead," you said softly. "You seem fine though. What happened?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to tear myself away from the original angsty ending, but I figured after all I put them through, I decided against it. 
> 
> This is actually a direct continuation of Part Seven, I wrote them both in the same sitting and seperated them so the chapter wouldn't be like 5,000 words long. (Although in the future, I kinda stop caring about chapter length for some reason and write however much until I feel like stopping if I didn't plan it to be a series.)

"A-are you okay?" Peter asked nervously, looking around to see if there were any lights, which luckily there weren't many, and the dark of the night helped masked the two of you, so he took his off and stepped forward.

"Yeah. I'm fine." You paused. "Are you?" The boy gently took your hand in his, inspecting to see if there was any damage, but luckily there wasn't any sign of bruising yet.

"What do you mean? I'm fine." Peter shook his head, confused.

"I was only out tonight because _you_ were super scared." You poked his chest. "Freaked me out, because I've never felt you that scared before, and I thought you were in danger."

"You went out—" Peter blinked and you shifted a little uncomfortably. "You went out to find me because you thought I was dying?"

"You act like I want you dead," you said softly. "You seem fine though. What happened?"

"It must've been when those people were robbing that bank on 21st," Peter rubber the back of his neck, closing his eyes to recount the events. "There were some hostages, and dudes with guns, and I wasn't sure if I could get them all out in time before they started shooting, and- and I guess I was afraid of someone getting hurt because of me." He paused and went silent. "And then they shot at me, and I thought I was going to die,"

"Peter," you frowned, your expression softening at his words.

"I couldn't die without everyone getting to safety first though, you know?" He met your eyes and gave you a weak smile. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" You scoffed, pushing your hair back. "You did nothing wrong, you _saved_ people, Pete. It's your job, and you're really good at it. Although, I do have to admit, almost vomiting at the same time as my pregnant sim was was really freaky. You gotta work on your timing." You shot him a grin and Peter shook his head, smiling with you.

"I'll take out the bad guys between the hours of five and eight, so don't play then, yeah?" Peter joked and you lightly kicked his foot. "So you're okay? With-with this, I mean? Me?"

"Well, it took some time to get used to a superhero soulmate, so I don't think jumping to superhero boyfriend would be too much of a difference,"

The combination of seeing Peter in front of you, his entire expression changing for the better mixed with feeling his realization and happiness, overtook you too, and you felt the literal skip of his heart, smiling to let him know you weren't going back on your words.

"But you've got some of that hero complex yourself," Peter grinned, trying to downplay his emotions even though the both of you it was a lie.

"Pshh, I was thinking crazy, that's what happened." You rolled your eyes. "I was lucky I didn't get hurt."

"Yeah, _you_ did the hurting." Peter paused. "We should probably call the cops, right?"

"Oh. Yeah." You hadn't even thought of that.

"Hey Karen?" Peter asked, pulling on his mask, and you stood in confusion. "Oh. Thanks," He tugged it back off and noticed your face. "Just an A.I. Mr. Stark put in my suit," Peter sheepishly explained and you nodded your head before doing a double take of his sentence.

"Wait," you gulped, outing a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Stark, as in, _Tony_ Stark? Tony Stark made your suit?"

"Oh! Yeah! I met him too, he's really cool. Total upgrade from mine," Peter had a large smile on his face and he outstretched his arms and looked at himself like it was the first time he saw the suit on him. "I fought with him in Berlin, like, in June,"

"You say that like it's some kind of sentence you say everyday," you breathed out, the news surprising and almost unbelievable. But then again, your soulmate was Spider-Man, aliens and gods, are real, so you've found out that most unbelievable things are going to be the new normal from now on.

"I can tell you all about it later," Peter shrugged, and you looked over your shoulder.

"And I would love to hear all about it." You took a deep breath a sighed. "I gotta get home though. It's late, and my mom and dad are probably really worried, I only answered one call and barely said anything."

"Oh. Yeah." Peter pulled on his mask again. "Do you want me to swing you home?" He asked and you were able to hear the grin he was wearing on his face.

"Let's add that to the list of things I need to talk to you about," you hesitantly stepped closer locking your hands around his neck and you heard him chuckle softly.

In attempts to postpone your parents angry but mostly worried lecturing, you told them you were tired when you came through the front door, and that you would explain later. While it worked for the most part, you still had to reassure them that you were okay, and Peter was okay.

You laid awake in your bed. The light was off, but you weren't sure you would go to bed anytime soon. For the first time in the last couple of days, happiness was front and center in your brain. Well, not completely, But it was nice for a change, not having fear or sadness be your main emotion, actually feeling like you want to do something.

After you were sure your parents were asleep, you crept out of your bedroom and got a small bag of ice. Your hand wasn't hurting too much, but you thought around your knuckles were a little puffy and you wanted to stop any swelling before it got worse. You really didn't want to explain to your parents that the first time you _really_ punched someone was when you punched a grown man in the face, successfully thwarting a mugging that you avoided but decided to be a good person and go back into anyway, potentially risking your life.

You stayed up for a little while longer, debating in your head whether you should wait to text Peter or not. You wanted to talk to him, and even though tomorrow, well, today, was Sunday, you weren't sure if he had plans. But you also didn't want to wake him up.

You sighed, giving up the argument and climbing into bed, but just as you closed your eyes, you heard your phone buzz and screen light up. Your eyes opened, and you lazily reached over, peeking at the bright screen, but all sleep fading from your mind when you saw it was a text from Peter.

**You said list earlier? Is it a bad list, or am I overreacting?**

You smiled down at the screen, going to text him back when another one came in.

**I'm probably overreacting. Sorry.**

**Damn, you're probably sleeping too. Double sorry. I'll shut up now.**

Shaking your head at the screen, you typed out a couple of messages and sent them.

_**I'm not, actually** _

_**I was about to text you too, but it's pretty late.** _

_**Do you have any plans tomorrow? I'll tell you about that list.** _

You waited.

**Nothing planned but patrol. Do you want to meet somewhere?**

_**Delmar's? We can go back to the park.**_

**I'll meet you at noon.**

You were surprised to see Peter already waiting in front of Delmar's Deli-Grocery for you, considering that you headed out forty minutes early because you were really anxious. Now that you thought about it, you might've only been anxious because Peter was.

"Hey," you announced yourself, Peter's head turning at the sound of your voice. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Oh. N-not long," Peter stared down at the ground, kicking his foot against the sidewalk. "Just a couple of minutes."

The silence was really awkward, and you weren't sure how to break it, it's never been like this with you and Peter before. You took a good look at him and noticed this was the first time you've seen him, since the two of you started talking, with clothes to better accommodate the weather. His arms were exposed from the tee shirt he was wearing, and he didn't seem to mind until he noticed your eyes had fallen to his left wrist and the gold words shining his against his skin, and he put his hand in his back pocket.

"It's not bad, really," you assured him. "Some things I have questions about,"

"Yeah, that makes sense," Peter looked up and you gave him a small smile. "Do you wanna..." he trailed off as he pointed behind him, towards the direction of the park.

"Oh. Yeah. Let's go."

The walk was close to silent, no one really talking until the two of you were shrouded by trees like how you were the last time you were here.

"I would tell you to never do that again, but I know there isn't a chance in hell you would give up being Spider-Man." You broke the silence, and you and Peter stopped walking.

"Is-is that a problem?" He inhaled and looked at you. "Being Spider-Man?"

"I think you know that answer, Peter, you're in life or death situations all the time. I would think," You shrugged. "Sure, I'll always be scared, I'm not thrilled with your quote, unquote, internship being after school vigilantism, but you're good at what you do." 

"So, that's not what's bothering you?" He asked, tilting his head to the side from confusion.

"What's bothering me, is how you ever thought your plan would work in the first place!" You exclaimed rhetorically. "Look," you took a deep breath. "I never was all for falling in love with my soulmate, because I thought it all was rigged, but Peter, I fell for you." You glanced down at your hands before looking back up. "And yeah, after you came clean, or- uh- kind of, whatever, I was angry. Because I wasn't sure if anything I was feeling was real."

"You- you're talking a lot in the past tense," Peter smiled a little hopefully at you and you rolled your eyes.

"I had this whole thing set up. I was going to wait a little longer but someone had to go scare me half to death," you paused. "I have this notebook, where I wrote down everything I was feeling, and everything I was feeling through you. I was going to work out statistically, if I actually felt anything for you."

"What changed your mind? What stopped you?"

"You." You admitted. "Honestly, over time, I just kept thinking of you, and the time we spent together, and how I've never been that happy with anyone else in my entire life." You smiled. "I _want_ to be with you, Peter."

"Oh wow," Peter breathed, a large smile on his face. "That's- that's great! That's—"

"Don't think I'm still not mad at you for all of this," you interrupted. "But I want to try us."

"I do too," Peter stepped forward, slowly taking your hands in his. "I say, we restart. Take it slow. How's that sound?"

"That sounds perfect." You met his eyes and could see his relief, if for some reason, you weren't already feeling it. Sighing contently, you closed your eyes, letting the warm sunlight hit your face and feeling Peter's hands tighten around yours.

The silence wasn't bad now, in fact, it was starting to feel comfortable again, like the two of you could stand there for hours together as the wind blew lightly through the air, the leaves on the trees rustling softly around you, the noise of the busy streets muffled by the nature around you.

Peter's voice was quiet hesitant as he spoke, interrupting the tranquil moment. "Can I kiss you?"

You slowly opened your eyes to find the boy in front of you staring nervously into yours, and you were momentarily stunned before a grin made its way onto your face. "I don't know. Can you?"

"I-I just wasn't sure, if it was all right or not yet, and-and I want it to be okay with _you_ , and—"

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"It's okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah," you laughed, your head dropping from it, but that didn't last long because you felt Peter carefully grab the sides of your face and gently press his lips to yours.

Kissing Peter was never going to be a feeling you would ever get used to. It was a feeling in of its own, and you searched your brain for a word or phrase that could try and capture exactly how happy you felt, how at ease, how perfect it was.

"Don't get used to doing that often," You whispered as you pulled back. "I think you might have to earn it for a little while."

"That's fine with me." Peter whispered back, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you in for another hug. "As long as I'm not going to lose you."

"Don't give me any reason too, and I think you won't have to worry."

"Okay, I know I said it before, and I'm saying it again: you're really happy." Your dad stated and he and your mother exchanged looks as she was clearing away the dinner dishes.

"And I'm not arguing," You smiled, standing up and taking your used dishes before your mother got to them to lighten her load. You followed her to the kitchen, and your father followed you.

"You haven't answered us, but I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and say that that smile on your face? It's because of Peter, isn't it?" Your mom looked over her shoulder at you, a small smile on her face.

"You and Peter, everything's okay now?"

"Yeah." You nodded your head. "Everything's okay."

After finishing helping put the leftovers from dinner away, you headed to bed, not without being distracted by a certain someone for another hour or so.

Waking up, you started your normal routine before going to school; which really only consisted of having enough time after you got out of the shower to grab something to eat before heading out to walk.

When you saw the water was hot enough, you started to slip out of your clothes, the leather cuff you wore around your wrist being the first to go, and stepped in.

"Hey Y/N," your father knocked on your door. "Food's getting cold, hurry up!" He warned you, and you shouted a quick "okay" before running your head under the water again.

You're hair was still slightly wet as you skipped into the kitchen, grinning at the sight of pancakes on the plate on the counter and dishing yourself out some. It took a moment for you to realize your father was staring at you, and when you did, you looked up, confused.

"What?" You asked, your grin still on your face as you took a bite of your food. "Something wrong?"

"No." He answered quickly, shaking his head. "Nope. I just got lost in thought for a sec," he laughed, turning around. "I gotta get to work a little earlier today, but have a good day at school, all right?" He asked you, rustling his hand on the top of your head as he walked by, grabbing his car keys and heading to the door.

"You too,"

After you finished your meal, you quickly washed your dishes and locked up the apartment before heading to school.

You ignored the whispered and stares all day with your head held up high, a smile on your face because you were looking forward to the day to be over, looking forward to who you got to see.

You weren't sure if they day flew by because you were in such a good mood, or if you were distracted, but you didn't care. Walking into English, you took your usual seat by the window, and a minute later, Peter came in and took his right in front of you.

"Good afternoon, Y/N," Peter smiled as he enunciated his words. "And how was your day today?" He asked, although you knew, and he knew, he already knew.

"Not too bad," You leaned forward. "How was yours?"

"I think it was great, I've had this—" you tiled your head to the side, eyes not leaving him as he stopped himself mid sentence. "Hey," he started. "You aren't hiding your words," he stated in a soft, low voice.

Smiling larger, you stretched out your wrist as you looked down at it, feeling your chest warm up. "Yeah, well, I didn't think I needed too anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the final chapter guys! It went on a little longer than I originally wanted, like four chapters longer, but with this installment, the series is finished! Whoo!!


	16. Stress & Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What would you do if you knew a secret about someone, but that person didn't know you knew it?" He asked the question with hesitance in his voice, as if it pertained to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a request from the lovely ebionio. I hope I did it justice! I did get a LITTLE carried away *clears throat innocently*
> 
> There are some non-major spoilers in the end notes, so don't read that until you're finished with the chapter :)

"Three essays, two projects, and five homework assignments..." You mumbled under your breath as you were flipping through your binder in the middle of class, your eyes sweeping over your full agenda for the week. You tapped your finger against the page before picking up your pen, glancing at the corner of your desk, where _To Kill A Mockingbird_ was sitting with a bookmark ten pages in. "Can't forget I need to get to chapter five by Wednesday—" you began to squeeze the words in the English section of the paper for Wednesday when you heard a voice interrupt your spoken thoughts.

" _Every_ one turn to page ninety-four." A sharp knock on your desk made you flinch, and you smiled sheepishly at your teacher as he continued to walk past, through the columns of students seated at their desks. "We're starting a new unit today, so study up on the vocab terms. You know how it goes, quiz on Friday."

"Quiz on Friday." You repeated, quickly scribbling it in before clamoring to close your binder, pushing it to the opposite corner of your desk as you opened your history textbook, flipping through the pages to find 94 before the number escaped your mind.

Your teachers voice was background noise as he began to go over definitions and showing slides of examples. You were trying to figure out the best work plan so you could stay on top of your schoolwork. Last year, you had been sick for two weeks and when you came back, you were drowned in make-up work, falling behind for the rest of the year, barely passing. That had scared you so much, you vowed you would never fall behind again to stop history from repeating, the feelings of fear and anxiety still flowing through you like it all happened yesterday.

For the majority of the year, you had succeeded. You had an elaborate system of dedicating the time after you had gotten home from school for homework that was due the next day. Then you would eat, either a snack or dinner depending on how much work you had that day. Then you spent an hour or so working on any long term projects, the time differing if there was more than one. It normally left you with about two hours of free time to do whatever you wanted to do before you put yourself to bed. The system leaving the vast amount of your weekends free.

But now that midterms were coming up, classes were stockpiling and doubling down, giving out review work as well as rushing through units that the students need to have learned before they took the tests that involved them. It had thrown your entire system off, giving you less and less time to enjoy yourself. You hadn't seemed to notice or care; school was your top priority at the moment, and you knew once midterms were over, things would go back to normal. Plus, you would have the experience to learn from and it would help for you to prioritize when finals rolled around. Tough it out now, because you knew you were going to make it through. No matter what.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw your teacher begin to turn towards the half of the class you were sitting in, and you scrambled to look like you were paying attention, your eyes forward as your hand tucked a couple of papers back into your folder. But when you had actually noticed what he was doing, you were quick to take out a piece of loose leaf paper, repeatedly glancing between the slides and your textbook, writing down the words and their definitions. You took a deep breath, and just as you finally got settled, the bell rang.

You began to gather your things, grabbing your backpack from where it was hanging on the back of your seat, but you kept dropping things every time you picked them up; a mixture of you just being clumsy and the students around you bumping into you as they all rushed to get out of class as well. After a minute, you had succeeded in getting your textbook into your bag, so the majority of the weight wouldn't be in your arms, and you stood, clutching your binder tight to your chest as you began to walk out of the door, the last student to leave.

What you weren't expecting, was a kid to come running back into the classroom. It was too late by the time the both of you had noticed you were in each other's ways, and he was going too fast to stop. The two of you collided, and the contents of your binder fell out as the both of you crashed to the ground.

A hurried 'sorry' spilled out of both of your mouths at the same time as the both of you shifted to your knees and began to pick up what had fallen.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't expecting anyone else to still be here." You heard the boy speak, and your eyes shot up to see a mop of messy chestnut curls, hands fumbling to grab at the notebooks and pens that had spilled onto the floor. "Are you okay?"

He had looked up, large brown eyes full of worry finding yours, and you had recognized him immediately, a blush beginning to creep up your neck. The boy you had been crushing on the last couple of months was now right in front of you, not even a foot away.

"Um, y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Little bit sore, but I'll be fine." You accepted his hand as he stood up first, one arm still holding your belongings, and he helped you stand up. "Thanks Peter."

A flash of surprise flew through Peter's face before it disappeared and a warm smile appeared on his lips. "No problem Y/N. I kinda ran into you, so..." he trailed off, but you knew where he was going anyway. "Um, here," he outstretched his arms, holding your things to you and with an embarrassed smile you took them back and lazily shoved them back into your binder. You would have to organize it when you got to your next class.

"Peter? Did you leave something here?" The sound of your teachers voice rang through your ears, and you felt your face start to heat up even more as both you and Peter turned to him. You realized that he had watched the entirety of the event happen and said nothing. Or maybe he didn't care.

"Oh! Yeah. I did." Peter spoke, and you suddenly felt awkward standing there with no real reason to stay. You turned to walk out, and Peter had noticed. "I'll see you tomorrow," he called to you, and you glanced over your shoulder to see him waving. Giving him a small wave in return, you saw as he began to walk to where he was sitting in class, a large book, most likely his copy of the History textbook, on the desk.

You didn't stay, Peter disappearing from view as you continued to walk down the emptying hall. You sped up your pace when you realized you didn't have much time to get across the school now, letting out a small yelp as the bell rang out again, a signal that you were late, and you walked as fast as you could without it constituting as a run down the hall.

  
A packaged granola bar dropped down onto your homework, making you jump and your head shot up to see your mother standing over where you were curled up in the armchair in your living room.

"You need to eat sweetie," she told you once she got your attention. "I don't think I've seen you eat anything the last couple days."

"I've eaten," you countered, picking up the granola bar and placing it by your side. But as you said the words, you thought about it, trying to remember the last time you actually ingested something. You shook the thought out of your head, your eyes finding your Trigonometry homework again and fingers pressing your calculator buttons to double check your answers. There was silence from your mom, and you could practically feel her staring at you. Looking up again, you saw her doing just that with her arms crossed, her eyebrows raising as you met her eyes. "I'll eat it right after I'm done with this." You promised her, referring to the sheet in front of you.

"You better," she warned, but you knew it was an empty threat. "I'm going out to the store real quick. Do you need anything?"

"Um," you scrunched your nose. "No I don't think so, thanks."

"Then I'm starting dinner the second I get back. I want you to eat with me, you got that?"

"I've been eating!" You called to her again, watching as she nodded her head and mumbled a light 'mmhm' as she closed the front door behind her.

As you thought about it, you realized maybe you hadn't been eating as much as you normally did. School had pretty much been in control of your life the last week, and you spent hour after hour making sure to get your work done, taking time to double and triple check you were right as well. But since you didn't feel hungry at the moment, you figured you had found the time to eat anyway, and again, you pushed the thought to the back of your head, all of your focus going to your homework.

You had lost track of time, no clock visible in your line of sight, and before you knew it, you heard keys rattling in the doorknob and then a moment later, your mother walking in with a couple of bags. The first thing she saw was you, having not moved a muscle since the last time she saw you, and then the untouched green wrapped granola bar by your side. She frowned but didn't say a word as she walked past you and into the kitchen, glancing down at the completely new subject of homework you were on.

You had fallen into a rabbit hole mindset of 'oh, this won't take long, so let me do it real quick', and you were right. It didn't take long, but you had four or five of these short assignments, and when you do them all together in one sitting, the time does add up.

Sighing, you forced yourself to put your pencil down and joined your mom in the kitchen, where she was taking items out of the bags, putting groceries away but also keeping a pile out. Your only assumption was that it was for dinner tonight, so you said nothing, only taking a bag of your own and beginning to help.

"Finished for tonight?" She broke the tense silence, and you knew she was referring to your homework.

"Um, not really no," you tell her truthfully, confusingly ashamed to admit it. "I have to study, and work on a weather project for Earth Science, a-and answer some questions for— oh, I have to finish reading first." You pursed your lips, closing your eyes and taking a strained breath.

"Y/N, you're pushing yourself too hard," Your mothers voice was soft but stern, concern lacing her tone. "You're stressing too much, we both know you'll be okay, you don't need to get all of your work done in one sitting and forget to take care of yourself,"

"I'm taking care of myself Mom," you spoke softly, stacking cans of peas in the cabinet above your head. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm doing fine."

"But is fine healthy?" She asked, and you avoided both her gaze and her question, reaching into the bag to grab another can, but instead pulling out a smooth plastic bottle.

"What's this?" You asked as your eyes narrowed, scanning the label. "Fish oil?" You turned your head to face your mother and she sighed, dusting her hands together as she closed the refrigerator and turned to the counter.

"Yeah, it's for you." She paused. "I figured you were going to keep up the act, so I got something to help."

"Drugs?" You asked, your voice flat as you crumpled up the plastic bag and tossed it into the trash can.

"Supplements." Your mother corrected, her tone slightly annoyed. "You know what fish oil is, it's healthy for you." You stood by her side, the container in your hands as you leaned against the counter. "If it makes you feel better, I'll start taking them with you."

"I don't need to take them though." You tell her, watching as she turned around to grab a knife and cutting board. "We had fish for dinner last night."

"Fish you barely picked at; you were too busy doing something for school, as I recall." She passed the small package of chicken breasts to you, and you mindlessly opened it for her as she began cutting lettuce and dumping it into a bowl. "And it's not just because of you not eating fish, it's to help with your blood pressure, because God knows it's at a new record high with all that stress."

"I'm _fine_." You stated firmly, turning around to grab a sheet tray, placing it on top of the already preheated oven and then yanking a piece of foil out a little more forcefully than you needed too, to cover the pan.

Your mother left the conversation at that, but you knew she had the complete opposite view of the situation as you asked her what dinner was, getting the answer 'chicken salad', and lightly seasoning the chicken before putting it in the oven. She told you she had the rest covered, and for you to go finish up what you were doing before dinner was done. Washing your hands in the kitchen sink, you dried them quickly before eying the fish oil pills on the counter, grabbing them and walking through the living room and to the bathroom, putting them in the cabinet above the sink before flopping back down in your chair in the living room with your work.

Time passed, and you continued to work until you heard your mom calling that dinner was done. She had instructed you to put your work away before joining her at the small table in the corner of the kitchen, and begrudgingly, you did so, dropping your binder on your desk in your bedroom before meeting her and a full plate of food back in the kitchen.

You tried hard to keep the meal from being silent, and after a few attempts, you succeeded, starting a lighthearted conversation that brought smiles to both your faces. You hadn't realized exactly how hungry you were until after you took the first bite, your stomach immediately growling for more, which resulted in you quickly clearing your plate and having second helpings. No one said a word about it, but you knew your mother was relieved you were eating so much.

"It's getting dark out. Heading to bed early tonight?" She asked as she began to clean up, you finishing up the last couple bites of your second plate.

"It is?" You asked, your mouth partially full, and your mom shook her head, laughing lightly.

"Yeah, I spent about three more hours out than I intended too. It's almost seven."

"Oh," You said, legitimately surprised. "Well, there's some more stuff I have to do..." you trailed off, but decided it was best not to say anything. "I was planning on taking a shower. Then probably going to sleep, yeah."

"Good. I think you've been staying up too late for the past couple days. A couple more hours will do you some good." She patted your shoulder and smiled as she grabbed your plate and fork from in front of you.

"Right." You nodded your head, standing up. "Well, I'm gonna go do that," you tell her.

"I'll be out here." Your mom responds, and you turned to head to your bedroom, picking out a pair of pajamas before heading to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind you.

Your eyes caught your reflection in the mirror as you walked past, and you stopped before you got to the shower. Thinking everything over: school, what your mom had said about you taking care of yourself, you opened the cabinet and opened the container of fish oil. You stared down at the two yellow pills in your hand, a small frown appearing before you just rolled your eyes, swallowing the pills. What's the worst they could do?

You turned on the water, waiting for it to heat up before undressing and stepping in. The shower was fairly quick, compared to your track record of running up the water bill. You were feeling good as you stepped out and covered yourself with a towel. Drying off to the best of your ability, you got dressed, keeping the towel with you as you lazily threw it over your head and walked out of the bathroom and to your bedroom.

You began to dry your hair as you stood in your room, a couple feet away from your desk, staring at the body mirror against the wall. You moved your hand and the towel against your hair, but stopped when you saw something dark and black on your hand.

Confused, you pulled your hand from your head, and with a gasp, you dropped the towel as you saw something black, cold and goopy started to cover your skin, seemingly appearing from nowhere. You were too confused and scared to let out a noise, let alone scream as it began to travel up your arm, so your next thought was to run and to get your mom, who you saw sitting on the couch in the living room.

You went to go move your feet, but looking down, the same black stuff was climbing up your legs, cementing you in place.

" _Mom!_ " The word was strangled and your voice hoarse like you had been screaming for hours, you barely hearing your voice yourself and wouldn't have known if you said anything if you weren't the person who spoke.

You looked back at the mirror, seeing your own fear in your eyes as you became completely consumed by the black goo, taking a deep breath as it crawled over your face, submerging you in darkness.

You felt whatever was covering you harden even more, encasing you in rock. You tried to breath, but couldn't. You felt like something was changing inside of you, like fire was running through your veins. You couldn't react though, couldn't scream, you couldn't do anything but to stand and let it happen; you were completely helpless. You hoped and prayed that your mom might walk in to tell you goodnight, that she would find you and break you out, but at that exact moment, just when you were running out of breath and feeling lightheaded, you felt the cocoon start to crack. It was breaking.

The first thing that was freed were your fingers, the air hitting it and making your skin cold from the sheen of sweat that had formed on your skin from being trapped and scared. And then a piece in front of your eyes broke. You watched with horror as bit by bit, the mold slowly fell apart, dropping in pieces with heavy thuds to the ground. Once your mouth was free, you took deep breaths, gasping for air. You slumped, nearly falling to the ground once you could move freely.

You stumbled backwards, getting away from the broken rocks on the ground as fast as you could. The backs of your knees hit your bed and you fell against the mattress, your eyes not leaving the spot on the ground where you were previously standing. Your heart was pounding against your ribs as your mind raced, trying to figure out what had just happened. What had happened to you.

You thought about if you had been exposed to anything recently, like a burst pipe on the street, a oil spill even. Oil. The fish oil.

Scrambling up, you raced to the bathroom, flinging open the cabinet and searching the small shelves for the bottle but not seeing it. Fear filled you as you realized that only meant one thing.

"Mom!" This time, your voice successfully audible as you rushed to the living room, seeing her in the same spot, except now the bottle of fish oil pills sitting on the corner table next to her.

"Y/N? Is something wrong?" She asked as you came into view and saw your face.

You froze. "Don't tell me you took one of those!" You nearly shouted, diving for the bottle.

"What? No, not yet, but I was about too. Why— Y/N!" You felt your mom's eyes on you as you made a beeline to the kitchen, nearly tripping over your feet, watching you, confusion radiating from her and letting out a gasp as she saw you pour the entire bottle down the garbage disposal, turning it on. "What are you doing? Those weren't free, you know?!"

"Uh," you gulped but your throat was dry. You were freaking out. "They aren't FDA approved!" You spouted the first lie that came to your head.

"Yes they are." She stated, annoyance evident as she crossed her arms and her face set. "I made sure to research the company before I bought it, Y/N."

"No! Um, I mean, I _just_ read an article that—" you glanced down at the bottle in your hand, reading the label. "Nature Max Supplements Fish Oil had a problem manufacturing their latest batches, and that the FDA is advising against buying any of their products until further notice." You were surprised about how legitimate the lie had sounded, especially for one off the top of your head.

"Oh." The anger and concern began to fade from your mothers face. "Well, you didn't have to make such a big show of it," she chuckled and you grinned nervously, glancing at the empty bottle again.

"You were the one telling me I've been so stressed lately. Figured I'd have some fun, work on my acting skills. For some reason." You mumbled that last sentence, forcing your body to relax to continue to sell the lie you decided to tell instead of the truth. With a shrug, you tossed the container into the trash can. Your mom shook your head and turned around to walk back to the living room. You decided to follow her, glancing back at the trash as you walked out of the kitchen.

"Looks like you showered. Are you going to bed now?" She asked as she sat back down, you standing in front of her.

"Um, yeah. I'm pretty tired." You backed up towards the hallway. "Night mom."

"Good night honey." She called back and you turned around, opening your bedroom door again and shutting it behind you. Leaning against the wood, you dragged your hands down your face before you saw the pile of rocks and dust in front of the mirror. You would have to clean it up after your mom went to sleep, so she wouldn't question it, but then you got an idea.

"Not real." You told yourself firmly, sitting down at your desk. You dropped your head against your desk, next to your school binder, and shut your eyes. You told yourself, that when you opened them, the pile would be gone. Everything would've just been a freaky dream from lack of sleep. You would pick up your pencil, do some last minute homework, and then head to get some much needed sleep.

After a couple of minutes, you slowly opened your eyes. The first thing you did was turn to look and see if the pile was there, and much to your disappointment, it was. Letting out a long groan, you turned back to your desk, reaching for your pencil, but you had grabbed at nothing. Instead of the utensil being where you had left it, you followed with wide eyes as they drifted up, seeing the item floating in the air above your desk.

No. Not floating. You saw something dark holding it up. It was transparent, but still dark. Cautiously, not knowing what else to do, you slowly passed your hand underneath it, as if to touch something solid, but it wasn't. If it wasn't solid, you didn't know how was it holding the pencil.

You gasped again when the pencil dropped and the dark tendril receded. You watched as the pencil rolled across your desk, the tendril following it, and when it had stopped moving, bumping into a comb, you realized that the force holding up the pencil was it's own shadow.

Some wild part of you thought about the possibility that you had caused it, and you thought about lifting the pencil again. This time, watching in amazement as the shadow grew once again, slowly but surely lifting the pencil into the air. It _was_ you. You had superpowers.

Then the reality set in. You blinked a couple of times, shaking your head, the pencil clattering back down onto the desk and you stood up, hastily shoving your chair back under your desk. You fed yourself the thought that you were finally losing your sanity, experiencing stressed induced hallucinations.

You shut off your bedroom light, flopping down onto your bed and pulling the covers all the way up to your shoulders. The plan was that you were going to go to sleep, and wake up in the morning completely normal. This weird feeling that left your body tingling would be gone, the pile would be gone, and you wouldn't be able to lift things with shadows. Your forced your eyes shut, squeezing them tight and ignoring the urge to open them again. Your mind raced, but eventually, somehow, you fell asleep.

  
  


It's been a week. A full seven days of having powers that made no implication of going away anytime soon. As if you needed more stress added to your plate. 

You couldn't tell anyone. You had just finished learning about the Sokovia Accords in class. You would be turned into the government, and who knows what they would do to you then? Lock you up because you were now a threat, or run experiments, or worse: train you, and actually send you to fight. 

You couldn't tell your mother either. You had no idea how she would react. Probably send you to the hospital to see if they can reverse whatever had happened, and that would just result the same way.

You had nearly gotten caught a dozen times already. There were shadows everywhere everyday, and you figured out you could manipulate them in nearly just as many ways. It worked much like telekinesis; you controlled them with your thoughts, and that's what made you nearly out yourself everyday. If you thought about flipping a page or picking up a pencil, the shadows would do it for you. You had snatched stuff out of the sky more times than you could count right in broad daylight, where any student in any of your classes could easily see if they just looked over, if anyone paid any attention to you.

But by the next Monday, you had started to gain control. In fact, you had started to even _enjoy_ your newfound abilities. They didn't seem to being doing anyone any harm, especially to you. You actually felt better than normal.

At home, you used them nearly all the time, as long as it was in the comfort of your own room. That's how you had learned to control, by doing simple things like telling the shadows to turn off the light switch, and then stopping them from turning it on as you walked across the room and did it yourself. It was like having extra sets of hands to do other small things you wanted to get done while your physical being was doing something else. But while you had some control, if your emotions spiked, or you got distracted, you would go back to square one. But at least, it was a start.

As fun as it was at times, it was mostly stressful. This was a secret you were now hiding from not only the people closest to you, but from the world.

You were boldly staring at Peter from across the cafeteria, a lazy smile forming on your face as you watched him laugh with his friend Ned. He distracted you more times than you would like to admit, but you weren't in class right now, so you couldn't care less. In total, you think you've had maybe five conversations with him throughout your time in school, not including the other day, and they were all school related conversations.

You wished you had the confidence to talk to him yourself, get to know more about him other than the fact that he was so inviting and cheerful, kind and easy—the easiest person to talk to, maybe even one day, you would be able to even ask him out. That last thought had your smile growing and your awareness of the real world fading. By the time you had felt your arm slipping, it had been too late, and you had swiped your milk carton off the table.

In a moment of panic, you had used your powers. Gulping hardly, you slowly lowered the carton to the floor, glancing around to see if anyone had seen. You caught it just before if had hit the ground, stopping the milk from spilling all over the ground, a few drops having came out, but that was it.

You picked up the cardboard from the ground, placing it back on your tray. Letting out a soft sigh, you had looked back up at Peter, wanting to steal one last glance before going back to the papers of work you also had spread out in front of you, but you froze when you saw him staring right back at you, meeting your eyes from several tables away. You let out a small squeak; a noise you didn't even know you could make. You told yourself that there was no way he could've seen, he was so far away, and if anyone was to see, it would be the people behind you, not in front of you like Peter was.

You saw him give you a small smile, his expression filled with shock from getting caught staring, and then he quickly looked away, leaving you with questions. One being: why was he staring?

You pushed the thought to the back of your mind—you were good at doing that—and you picked up your pen after eating a bite of your previously untouched food before continuing to work on the Earth Science project you had started to work on at the beginning of the period before your eyes had found Peter. You couldn't afford to let your thoughts get carried away, not when you had so much to do.

You kept track of the time this time around, packing up just before dismissal, and like every other teenager in the cafeteria, leaving _before_ they stayed long enough to have to run to their next class. 

You were exhausted by the time the final class of the day was over even though it was barely three in the afternoon. But you had no time to be exhausted today, you had to study. You had three different tests to take on Thursday, in two days, and you couldn't forget about that vocabulary quiz on Friday either. 

You had already talked to your mom about it, and she agreed to letting you take the subway to the library and spend your time after school studying there. You knew she wouldn't let you go if the trip was just to study for school, because you've been working nonstop for the past month, so you threw in that you were going to borrow a couple of books to read in your down time as well. That seemed to ease her concern. 

The library was always a place that calmed you down. The air conditioned building always smelling like books, the type of silence you wouldn't get anywhere else. And, despite the clocks lining nearly every wall, you always lost track of time in there, whether you were reading or doing homework. 

"You sure were working hard tonight," you heard someone speak to you, making you place down your green highlighter. Looking up, you saw the woman who sat behind the large counter smiling down at you. You realized you were the last person there as you could see.

"Oh, yeah," you told her in a light laugh. "I have a couple of big tests to prepare for midterms to take this week." 

"Well, I hope with all that studying, you do really good." 

"Thank you," you tell her, your gaze going to fall back to the packet, but then she spoke again. 

"It's nearly closing time, so I think it'd be best you pack up and head home," 

Your head shot up, wildly searching for the clock instead of just checking the time on your phone. "Oh shoot, I didn't know." You gathered your things, careful not to rip any papers as you placed everything back into your bag. 

"It's pretty dark out there, do you have anyone coming to pick you up?" 

"Me? Oh, no, I can walk home. It's not too far," you waved off her concern, giving her a smile. "Thank you again." 

"No problem," she smiled in return as you stood up and you threaded your arms through your backpack straps. 

You waved goodbye as the woman began slowly turning off lights, and pushed open the heavy doors and stepping out into the night. Shooting your mom a text, telling her you were on your way home, you stuck by the street lamps as you walked. It wasn't too dark out yet, the last light of the day still shining dimly through the tall surrounding skyscrapers, dotting the ground with spaced out beams of rose-gold sunlight. With a cool breeze blowing through the air, and traffic and the sidewalk mysteriously calm for New York, walking home seemed nearly as peaceful as the hours you just spent at the library. 

Manhattan at twilight was beautiful, you had figured out. The last rays of sun reflected off of the glass windows all around you, making every building light up golden orange. You had even caught that rare moment of where the sun had completely set, and the stores hadn't yet turned on their neon signs, so the street was only illuminated from the street lights that automatically turn on at sunset. It was as alluring as it was bone chilling. 

You had began to think you jinxed yourself as you thought about how this was probably one of your most enjoyable walks home, even if it was alone and in the dark, as the lamp post nearest to you began to flicker. You stopped, squinting up into the light that kept going out and then coming back on, wondering if it was going to choose between one of the two when you heard the voices. Voices, and then the sound of punches. 

You spun around to see if you could locate the source, your intention so you could run the other way, because never in a million years did you want to get mugged today, but your vision was a little spotty from just staring into a bright light. To your dismay, the fighting was right in front of you, in the alley you were standing right in front of. 

You felt stuck to the ground as you witnessed the sight, counting one, three, six, nine guys. All of them were dressed in dark clothes except for one. You cursed your curiosity as you squinted to get a look at the last person, finally seeing that he was dressed brightly in red and blue. The outfit looked so familiar, and it took you longer than you would like to admit to figure out that you were a firsthand witness to Spider-Man in action. 

But it quickly took a turn for the worse when it shifted from Spider-Man in action to Spider-Man in a losing battle. 

With a groan, the hero fell to his knees as he took a solid kick to the gut followed closely by a punch to the face. Your heart started to race from fear, and you wished someone could do something to help him as he was far too outnumbered in the battle. You gasped as the men began to close in around him, giving him no chance to escape if he tried to stand up—which he did. 

But then it hit you like you were getting punched yourself. _You_ could help him. You hesitated, but cringed when you heard another cry of pain come from the masked webslinger. You hadn't even gotten into a fight before in your life, let alone used your powers to hurt someone. But now here you were, faced with the decision to hurt eight people and possibly save a life, or to run, and have Spider-Man's potential death on your hands. 

"Hey!" The word had come out without a second thought, gaining the attention of three of the men and Spider-Man. The light was still flickering behind you as you raised your arms (something you had figured out gave you more control) as you willed the men's own shadows to work against them, lifting them by their feet and raising them about five feet into the air before you flung your arms down, the men and their shadows following the actions and landing harshly on the ground. You let out a grunt of exertion, exhaustion passing over you in waves.

Your hands flew to your mouth as your eyes scanned the unmoving bodies. You were ready to save a life, but you weren't ready to become a murderer. 

"Did you—" Spider-Man groaned as he stood up, his eyes trained on you the entire time. "Did you do that?" He asked, disbelief filling his voice as he weakly pointed at you. All you could do was nod your head. Your mind was shouting at you, telling you that you should run, but your feet weren't moving as Spider-Man stepped closer to you. "You wouldn't believe if I said I had it under control, would you?" He asked jokingly, even though he was in physical pain.

You shook your head the slightest bit. "It uh— you looked like you needed the help." 

"You saved me," Spider-Man answered, tilting his head and the white eyes on his mask blinking, like his was getting a better look at your face, and that made unease settle in the pit of your stomach. "Thank you." 

"It was no problem, really." You rushed your words because they were a lie. It was a problem, you outed yourself. "Um, can you do me a favor?" You then asked quickly. 

"Oh. Yeah? Yeah, sure. What is it?" 

"Please don't tell anyone about me." You heard the fear and panic in your own voice as you spoke. "I-I really don't need the world knowing about what I can do, I have school to worry about, and a really full plate, and I'm _terrible_ at keeping secrets under stress, which I'm already a slave too, and—" you began to ramble, not noticing Spider-Man step in front of you, both of his hands grabbed your shoulders to center your focus on him and you stopped talking, your voice catching in your throat at the touch. 

"I promise I won't tell anyone." His voice was so sincere. "Your secret's safe with me. I understand exactly where you're coming from." 

Relief flooded through you, and a weary smile appeared on your lips as you closed your eyes. "Thank you," you whisper to him and his arms dropped to his sides. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, thank _you_." He assured you. "I heal pretty fast too, so I should be good as new soon enough." Then he paused. "Why are you out alone after dark?" 

"I'm just heading home." You told him, wondering if you would regret telling him that after you had spoke. "Just came back from a study session at the library." Then you glanced over his shoulder when you thought you had seen movement. You had actually, seeing a few of the men stirring back to consciousness. Another wave of relief when you realized you weren't dead, but your eyes widened what that also meant. "Um, you might want to deal with them," you said quickly, pointing behind Spider-Man, and he twisted around in front of you. 

"Oh! Yeah, I should." You began to walk back down the street. 

"Um, see you around?" You waved before turning around completely, sprinting down the empty sidewalk. You didn't see if he waved back, but you heard the sound of his webshooters thwipping as he shot out webs, most likely to secure the men down to the ground as he alerted the authorities. You didn't turn back to check, instead holding tightly to your bag and phone as your pace sped to a run, not stopping until you got to your apartment building, dashing up the stairs, greeting and then saying goodnight your mom before entering your room and letting your tired body collapse onto your bed. 

Your mind seemed to have forgotten everything you had studied in the library last night as you were sitting in class, filling out a review study sheet for your Trigonometry test tomorrow that the teacher had just passed out. You couldn't help but to be dual-sided, blaming yourself for letting your mind replay your run-in with Spider-Man, but at the same time, you couldn't figure out why you shouldn't let that scene replay in repeat front and center in your head. You'd finally figured out a reason the next class, when you came to the realization that you would have to study double tonight. 

You had actually gotten to History before the bell, a rare occurrence indeed, and was waiting for the bell to ring and class to start with your head resting idly on the table when you heard someone sit in the empty chair next to you. 

That didn't happen often, people tended to sit with their friends in all of your classes, but it did happen from time to time. Normally you wouldn't mind, but since you weren't in full control of your power, you felt yourself start to panic, your mind racing and coming up with the worse case scenarios. You immediately straightened your back, turning your head to see who was seated by your side. It felt like someone had stole your breath, in both the good and bad ways, as you saw Peter Parker sitting next to you. 

He gave you a soft smile paired with a small wave of his hand, but he said nothing. Neither did you. Peter kept his focus straight ahead as the bell rang and class started, but the times you glanced sideways at him, you've caught him more than once doing the same thing. 

You couldn't contain your nervousness, as much as you tried too. You refrained from biting your nails, but you bit your lip and the inside of your cheeks instead, bouncing your legs under the table as the class continued on. This was probably the worst possible situation you could be in socially, because before you were worrying about your class finding out about your powers as a whole, but it seemed like a whole new level to keep your cool and to keep it hidden specifically from your crush. You wondered what you had done to deserve such luck in the span of two weeks. First gaining these powers in the first place, followed by last night, and now, now. 

The class was a half over by the time one of you spoke, and it wasn't you. Peter broke the silence between the two of you with the most shocking question he could ask as your classmates also started to talk, a light murmuring filling the room as conversations ensued. "Hey, Y/N," he'd gotten your attention the first syllable. "Do you think, maybe, you would want to study with me today? A-after school ends, maybe?" 

So maybe it wasn't the most shocking question, but it still took you by surprise. "Me— you— study together?" You stammered in reply, blinking dumbly a couple of times before mentally facepalming. 

"I mean, only if you want too!" He quickly added. "We don't have too if you don't want too, I was just wondering..." you watched as uncertainty crossed his face and you pushed through the fear of saying something that would embarrass you any further. 

"No-no I would love too! I mean, not _love_ to, but I would like to. Like to study with you...yeah." So much for not embarrassing yourself as you cringed at your words. But they didn't seem to faze Peter, who in turn grinned, and you could see the relief in his eyes. He was nervous too. 

"I just know with midterms and all, there's so much to prepare for. A study buddy is probably a good thing to have, yeah? Help alleviate some stress and all." 

"Yeah." You let out a short laugh. "Yeah, you're right." You smiled as Peter tapped his pen against the table for a second before the both of you turned back to your work. You had calmed down a bit, instead letting the confused happiness fill your chest and head and allowing it to distract you. Not a lot, but enough. 

It took a little but more convincing to get your mom to let you go back to the library again, between coming home after staying to closing hours and having no books to show for it. But when you told her you were going with Peter this time, while you weren't sure exactly what reaction you were expecting, you weren't expecting her to change her mind so quick. To seal the deal, you extra promised to check out some books, and you were miraculously good to go. 

Again with expectations—they were blown away as you sat alone at a table in the library with Peter. You had fears that maybe you had held him to standards so high he wouldn't possibly be able to reach them and you would be disappointed, but instead, it seemed to be exact opposite. You could've raised them higher and he still would've passed the bar. It was almost as if he wasn't real, the way he made you laugh like you hadn't laughed before, made you feel all fuzzy inside every time you looked at the smile you had caused to adorn his face. At the rate you were going, you weren't sure if you were going to get any studying done, but the two of you had done that too; quizzing each other through flash cards and exchanging English essays to proofread. 

"Can I get really serious for a sec?" Peter asked after the two of you were settling and taking a quick break. 

"Sure. What's up?" You turned your body towards him, giving him your full attention, like you wouldn't have otherwise. 

"What would you do if you knew a secret about someone, but that person didn't know you knew it?" He asked the question with hesitance in his voice, as if it pertained to you. A voice in the back of your head reminding you of that day in the cafeteria and telling you that it just might. 

"Um," you began slowly, working through your scattered thoughts. "Well, do you?" 

"...maybe," he answered slowly, his eyes finding yours and you nodded your head. 

"I guess it would depend on how well you knew them, and how long you've been keeping the secret. How much they trust you." You shrugged. You went to open your mouth to add on more, but Peter spoke, beating you to it.

"Well, I don't know her very well, but I feel so comfortable around her and I don't want to mess that up. It's only been a day, not even twenty-four hours yet. I really don't want her to lose trust in me, not after I promised," 

You stayed silent for a couple of moments. "That seems...really...specific," You couldn't help yourself for thinking he was speaking in code, speaking about you. "I would just tell her Peter. Honestly, in my experience, the longer you keep secrets, the more damage it does." You bit back the internal comment about that being exactly what you were doing. 

"Okay." Peter said softly, taking a deep breath and then turning his head to look back at the open History textbook in front of the two of you. You were going to turn back too when you heard Peter take another breath and then his eyes caught yours before they could fully switch subjects. "I'm Spider-Man." His voice was hushed, even quieter than the whisper the two of you were already speaking in. 

You involuntarily leaned away from him, like his words were physically able to push you back. It wasn't a large movement, but big enough for panic to fill Peter's eyes, making them widen and regret start to fill the beautiful chocolate colored irises you loved to stare into. 

"Did you just say—" 

"I'm Spider-Man," he repeated softly, and this time, you leaned forward. 

Pieces slotted into place, why he would tell you that. "Oh." You blinked. He knows. " _Oh_." If Peter was Spider-Man, he knows about you, about your power. 

"Are you mad? I'm so sorry if I made you mad Y/N, you just said— I-I figured to follow the advice you gave, and-and maybe I wouldn't mess it up— this— us up, y'know?" He paused, inhaling. "Y/N?" 

It took you a minute to realize your face had a blank expression, but behind your skull, a million were being displayed. Quickly, you amended that, letting him know you weren't angry with a small smile, but also a little worried. You weren't sure if you could let disappoint show without having to explain why, which you didn't want to at the moment. "You're fine Peter, it's okay," 

Peter released the breath he took and was holding it seemed, a smile of his own appearing. "That's good. That's...great." 

"Yeah." The both of you let out short chuckles. "I can't believe you're... wow." 

"Crazy, right?" Peter asked rhetorically but you nodded anyway. "We'll have to swap origin stories later." 

"Dr. Facilier meets Arachni-Boy," you laughed, seeing Peter roll his eyes before joining you. 

The two of you shared the comfortable moment of silence, and you were grateful you now knew who was under the Spider-Man mask, because you had the feeling Peter would stay true to his promise. You did wish that maybe this all happened at a less stressful time of your life, but then again, you had to remind yourself that midterms were nearly here and that also meant that they were nearly over. And how Peter studying with you definitely blew off some steam and the pressure and stress from having to study, you got the feeling that maybe things were going to work out after all. You did have a new study buddy after all.

"So," Peter spoke again, this time his voice more nervous somehow, his face and the pink blush making itself known on his cheeks only furthering the proof. "I have another question for you." 

"Go ahead," you told him, wondering what it could be this time. 

"Say, hypothetically, if you were sitting in front of your crush, how would you tell her you like her?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may write garbage disposals into stories, but in real life, I'm way too afraid of them to actually live in a place with one. I've seen way too many shows/read so much stuff, that I know it will NEVER end well. 
> 
> I don't know what's up with me and cliffhangers, but I mean, you gotta love them as much as you hate them.


	17. Noticed From A Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So maybe, Peter did think you were out of his league, when in reality, you were just like him. A band geek and total nerd. Except, he was still so much better than you, you thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the couple pre-spider bite/Spider-Man ideas I have floating around in my head. 
> 
> Warning(s): Peter's budding superpowers leads to a pretty *sticky* situation. (I'm sorry, but not really) a teensy bit of language, like, borderline PG-13 language

"I see you staring at him again," Your best friend harshly pulled you out of your thoughts, and you jumped at the sudden thrust back into reality.

"W-what? No, I wasn't staring at anyone." You argued quickly, dropping your eyesight from the back of Peter's head and to your Global Studies worksheet.

"You're such a liar, Y/N, just talk to him!" She laughed, shaking her head before focusing back on her work as the teacher's head shot up and glared at her for talking.

"You know I can't," You whispered back, glancing at her. "What if he doesn't like me?"

Frowning, she waited until the teacher shifted her gaze before speaking. "Are we even talking about the same person? Peter Parker? Y/N, that boy is probably the biggest nerd in the school, have you seen him? He wears glasses, is in band _and_ robotics club, and gets straight A's. Dude, you are so out of his league, he _has_ to like you. Pssh, he probably won't even know how to talk to you, _he'll_ like _you_ too much!"

"That's not what I was talking about," You muttered embarrassingly, feeling your face heat up and you shrank in your seat a little at your best friends smirk.

"Honestly Y/N, I'm not sure why you even like him. He's not even _cute_ cute."

"What?" You heard yourself argue before you even thought about it, and quieted when she raised her eyebrows teasingly at you. "Yes he is," You admitted sheepishly, feeling your face flush even more.

"And here I am, thinking I might've taught you better, but you'd rather stare at the class weirdo instead of the football team with me," She sighed. "But I'm your bestie, and I support any crush you have, so here's my plan."

"Plan?" You shook your head. "N-no, no plan. I don't want a plan."

"Why not?" She turned to you, glancing at Peter quickly, and then the teacher, who was reading. "You've been pining over this guy since 6th grade. I think it's about time you have your first real conversation with him that isn't school related."

"That won't go well. I won't even be able to string a sentence together!"

"You're hopeless!" She sighed, flinging her hands up and bringing them back down on the desk. "Utterly and completely in love with him, but hopeless."

"Shut up, Y/F/N," You mumbled, taking one last look at Peter, who had pushed his glasses up while he stared out of the window, and you had a clear view of the side of his face, and felt yourself smiling before you put your pen back to your paper.

Maybe your best friend couldn't figure out why you had the biggest crush on Peter Parker, but you definitely did. The entire time you've known him, he's always been so passionate about everything he did. He worked so hard in band, being part of the first trumpets (you had joined band the year after he had. Not because of Peter, you told yourself, because you genuinely did enjoy the extracurricular), and he was so smart, seemingly naturally. He was always so nice to everyone, and just seemed like an overall great guy.

You didn't know what Y/F/N was talking about, but Peter was probably the most attractive person you had ever laid eyes on. She probably wasn't lying when she said you were out of his league. At least to her, you were. But in your mind, it was the other way around.

She was pretty popular in Midtown. Sure, every kid here was smart, everyone having had to pass the entrance exam, but she— along with you and definitely Peter— was one of the ones to get above 90. She was really pretty too, a cheerleader, so you being her best friend gave you some kind of school popularity as well. You were automatically given the title of cheerleader without you actually being one.

So maybe, Peter _did_ think you were out of his league, when in reality, you were just like him. A band geek and total nerd. Except, he was still so much better than you, you thought.

Your thoughts drifted back to Peter while you were sitting on your bed at home, doing your Global homework. You remembered what you had been thinking about before Y/F/N interrupted you, an alternate reality where you somehow _could_ work up enough courage to actually talk to him.

The days continued on, and you still watched Peter from afar, nothing ever changing. Until it did.

It was the day after the freshman field trip to Oscorp Industries.

You hadn't noticed it at first, but the longer you sat in Global, about five minutes after class started, you noticed Peter was different.

You narrowed your eyes, trying to focus on the boy who was an entire class away. First you noticed he couldn't sit still, his leg bouncing up and down, then that his glasses were gone. Not just off, but nowhere in sight. Then while it was one of the later things, how his shirt seemed more fitted rather than loose. Was something wrong?

Y/F/N pulled you out of your thoughts, and again caught you staring at Peter, but this time, she wasn't teasing you for it.

"What the hell happened to Peter?" She asked in a whisper. "He got muscles overnight or something! Maybe he wore a lot more sweatshirts than we thought."

"Y-yeah," You agreed, but you couldn't care less at the moment.

"And no glasses?" She laughed lightly to herself. "It's like that jawline appeared out of nowhere." You saw her stare over at you in awe, but your eyesight hadn't left Peter. But instead of drooling over him, you were confused and concerned, and she noticed that. "Is something wrong? Y/N?"

"Not with me, with Peter," you answered, quickly looking over at her before your eyes went back to him.

"Okay, this is a little extreme," She rolled her eyes. "You can't just not have a crush on him now because he's attractive _._ He's still a weirdo, but now he's a _hot_ weirdo. I would've thought that would be your dream!"

"What? Y/F/N, no! I-I still do, but just look at him!" You gestured across the room. "He can't sit still!"

"So?" She shrugged. "Maybe he has ADHD, and forgot to take his meds today."

"You honestly don't think anything is wrong?" You asked her, and she shook her head.

She dropped the subject for now, not without trying to get you to make your move now "before someone else does", of course. But you were still concerned, Peter distracting you more than usual. He wasn't normal, _something_ had changed, and you knew it.

Your eyes were on him again at the end of the period, and you saw him visibly flinch as the bell went off.

You felt the fear of talking to him, as much as you wanted to, take it's spot in the pit of your stomach. It was basically multiplied by two now.

You couldn't help but to stay focused on Peter as you walked to your next class, only finding more reason to stay trained on him. He was walking as if he was unsure of his steps, almost like he was dizzy. Usually you turned the corner coming to get to your next class while Peter kept going forward, but Peter and you hadn't even made it there before you saw him get bumped into the lockers, and instead of just brushing it off and keep walking, he groaned and slumped to the ground.

Your eyes widened and you had a moment of panic. The few other kids in the hall didn't seem to care that it looked like Peter was having an existential crisis and just kept walking. In a moment, the second bell would ring, and the two of you would be the only students in the hall if you didn't leave him there.

Of course you couldn't leave him there.

The second bell rang, and as you walked closer, you noticed Peters hands fly to his ears to try and muffle the sound. He was in pain.

"Peter?" You announced yourself as you crouched down next to him, your voice making him jump, and he looked up at you, his eyes wide with surprise at first but then they quickly squinted. At first you thought it was because he wasn't wearing his glasses, but then realized that it might not have been that at all, and that the hall light was on the ceiling directly behind you.

"H-hi," He managed to get out. "I'm fine. Do-don't worry,"

Pushing down the butterflies you got from hearing his voice, talking to you, you shook your head.

"I-I don't know if fine is a word to describe you right now," You offered your hand to him, and he stared at you curiously and you tried to stop the red you knew was going to appear in your face for meeting his brown eyes. "Let- let me help you."

You gulped down your heart as you felt it start to do flips when he took your hand and the both of you stood up, Peter more carefully than you. "Really Y/N, I'll be okay," You noticed his voice was unsure of himself, and you bit back the question, _you know my name?_ "N-now you're late to class, because of me."

"I can get a pass from the nurse, come on," You tell him, giving him a small smile, but then unable to control the heat you felt rush to your face when you realized you were still holding his hand. You gaze flickered down, and when you looked back up, Peter was staring at you after having done the same thing, his face a light pink as well but you couldn't tell if it was because of you or what was causing him to be like this.

The both of you let go and your hands dropped to your sides.

"What- what happened? You're really not okay," You asked him softly after the two of you had started walking. You had kept your distance, but when you had turned the corner at the end of the hall and he almost lost balance, you made the decision to walk closer so that you could attempt to catch him if he somehow fell.

"I uh, I got bit? By, um," He paused, and you could see on his face that he wasn't sure what to say. "By something,"

"What the hell?" You exclaimed. "We need to get to the nurse now! Damn it, you could be dying!"

You can tell your reaction took Peter by surprise, especially when you placed your palm on his forehead, reaching up, but you pulled back when you noticed something else. Not only did he _not_ have a temperature, but he was also taller. Not by much, but you noticed.

"I-I don't think I'm _dying_ Y/N," He started. "I just think—"

"Where did you get bit?" You asked, but it was a little demanding. The craziest thought made the two of you stop walking.

"Um, my- my hand—" he started to lift his right hand, but you grabbed it before he could finish the action himself. "It's not as bad as it was last night," He told you.

"A spider bite..." You trailed off, finishing the thought in your head. The two punctures were unmistakeable on the small bump in between his thumb and forefinger. Puzzle pieces were slowly forming in your head, and you hadn't realized Peter was standing a little awkwardly in front of you until you came out of your thoughts, dropping his hand. "You got bit by the missing spider at Oscorp yesterday!" You stated, sure of yourself. "The one they were trying to scale down the severity of it being gone, one of the ones they were experimenting on!"

"M-maybe," He stuttered. "It's not that big of a deal—"

"Not that big of a deal?" You interrupted him, your crush on him not limiting your speech anymore as you thought about the side effects. "Peter, you do remember what they were talking about, right? They put those spiders through a whole bunch of experimental radioactive therapy! Any one of their venoms would've killed you _before_ experimentation! Who knows what might happen to you!" You started freaking out, and you hadn't realized it made Peter nervous until he grabbed your wrist to stop you from pacing.

"I know what happened. Kind of." He looked you in the eye, and shut his eyes, sighing.

"Tell me now, so we can tell the nurse," you went to turn away, but almost fell back because Peter was still holding onto you. "Can you let go of me please?" You asked him confusedly. "We gotta go."

"Uh," Peter pulled you back and you stumbled towards him. "I can't."

"Peter, let go of me," you repeated carefully. You hadn't thought of him acting like this before.

"I can't!" He repeated, this time, panic filling his eyes.

"Ow!" You exclaimed as you stared down at where his hand was wrapped around your wrist and he had tried moving his fingers but pulled your skin as well.

"I-I'm so sorry! But I can't let go!" You stared at him, the widest your eyes could go, and he started to breath quicker, panicking. "This- this is one of the things that happened. This is a side effect from the spider- I-I told you—"

"Oh gods," you breathed out. "Peter, stop."

"I literally _can't_ let go, Y/N!"

"That's not what I'm talking about. There's a monitor coming!" You whispered harshly, having seen the black uniform flash from around the corner.

"Oh no,"

"Follow me," you told him, as if he had a choice.

"Where are we going?" As the two of you stumbled down the hall.

"Janitors closet," you grimaced as you said it, you only knowing there was one near here because Y/F/N talked frequently about 'hiding' out there.

"O-oh, I'm not sure I really want to—"

"We have no choice unless you want to explain to the monitor why we're not in class _and_ why you're stuck to me," you tell him, opening the unlocked door and stepping in, quickly pulling him in with you and shutting the door.

"Right." He gulped, taking as much as he could of a step back to put as much distance between you, which resulted in the both of you awkwardly holding your arms in front of you. "I'm sorry," he cringed.

"So you're sticky." You stated, feeling around the wall for the light switch and when you finally found it, staring wildly at Peter. "What the hell else happened?" you weren't sure where all this confidence was coming from, but you prayed it didn't go away until you got answers.

"I uh, got taller, um, stronger. Like _all_ of my senses are heightened, I don't even have to wear my glasses anymore!" You saw the smile form on his face, and you forced yourself not to get lost in it. "But sometimes it's a lot and it's hard for me to focus."

"That's great," you said in disbelief. "But why would you even come to school today? If you have all of these new powers, and no control over them?"

"Well, I thought I would be fine with the sticky thing," he shrugged. "After I freaked out about not being able to get off the floor when I woke up in the middle of the night, I figured out when I relax, I can let go."

"So let go!"

"Well, you panicking made me panic, and now I have to calm down first!"

There was silence in the closet before you broke it by laughing, confusing Peter even more.

"This isn't—" you had to stop because another round of giggles had you bent over, laughing. "This is _not_ how I thought the first time we talked would go!" You laughed, having to grab onto Peter's other arm to not fall over and bring him down with you.

"Wha-what?"

"And I was freaking out about not being able to actually get any words out!" You kept laughing, to the point where Peter had to stand you up and shush you, reminding you that you were hiding and trying _not_ to get caught. "I'm sorry!" You giggled. "It's just, I didn't think today I would talk about superpowers and be hiding in a closet with my crush stuck to me!"

"Wha- crush?"

Your head shot up and your smile dropped. "Oh shit," You didn't mean to admit the one secret you were hiding to the person himself.

"You—" Peter grinned, rubbing his neck with his other hand. "You have a crush on me?"

"You have superpowers?" You tried to downplay the situation, get the topic off of you before it started.

"Yeah, yeah, but you have a crush. On _me_?"

"Yes, on you," you admitted softly.

"That's crazy!" He laughed. "Why would you ever be interested in me?" He met your eyes. "I'm me! I mean, you liked me before today?"

"Well, yeah," you blinked a couple of times. "For a while, now,"

"I like you too!" He blurted with a grin, making your breath hitch for a moment. "I just- I never thought you would _ever_ like me back. I mean, no one likes me,"

"Which is ridiculous, by the way," you muttered. "This would've been a better conversation if you weren't attached to me and we weren't potentially going to get in trouble later."

"Yeah," He smiled weakly and apologetically at you.

"This is crazy, Peter," You shook your head. "You're some of spider, um, spider-boy!"

"Spider-Man," You heard him murmur and you looked at him. "I was thinking Spider-Man,"

"Alright, _Spider-Man._ " You snickered, ignoring the short glare he gave you. "How about we get unstuck and figure things out from there?"

"I like that plan."


	18. The "Group Retreat"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Come on, no one is leaving until Tony tells us it's okay." Steve sighed, knowing well enough that you were a stubborn teenager who normally didn't stop until you got what you wanted or crashed and burned in the attempt.
> 
> You just ignored him. "Sam, you said something? You in?"
> 
> "If you can pull this off Pipsqueak, count me in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I ever mentioned how much I adore fanfiction? Well, I am now. You have to much freedom to do whatever you want! For example: everything is fine after CA:CW and no one can stop me! Mwahaha...
> 
> Warning(s): Little angst. Some allusions to certain things and events. It depends on your mind how dirty they're interpreted. Also, minor Stucky shipping, if anyone needs to be warned of it.
> 
> I probably should set a specific time to update instead of random times a day...

"Who else wants to ditch this place and go somewhere with me?" You said loudly and abruptly, breaking the silence and bolting up to a sitting position from where you were lying bored on the couch.

"I'm game." Natasha sat up too. The two of you were laying lengthwise on opposite sides of the couch and you gave her a high five.

"Anyone else?" You looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the attention grabbed, but otherwise silent, Avengers.

"Where're we going?" Sam yawned, glancing over at you amusedly.

"I dunno. I was thinking road trip?" You shrugged. "Something to get out of this godforsaken base." You swung your legs over the couch. "Hey! We can go camping! Let's go camping!"

"Y/N," Steve sighed, looking up from where he was reading his book. "We're on lockdown."

" _Only_ because of a tiny, barely even noticeable, glitch in the system!" You rolled your eyes. "You know it's probably nothing Cap,"

"Probably means there's still a probability." He frowned and you groaned.

"I wanna go," Peter cheerfully exclaimed, and the group turned their heads to face the boy as he dropped down from the ceiling.

"Sorry Spider-Boy, but you didn't get your permission slip signed by your legal guardian." You stood up and patted his cheek, ignoring his frown as you walked by to stand in front of everyone as you spoke.

"Come on, no one is leaving until Tony tells us it's okay." Steve sighed, knowing well enough that you were a stubborn teenager who normally didn't stop until you got what you wanted or crashed and burned in the attempt.

You just ignored him. "Sam, you said something? You in?"

"If you can pull this off Pipsqueak, count me in."

"Buck?" You turned to the man, who glanced over at Steve before answering.

"I mean, we all _could_ use a break," He prompted hesitantly, shifting to sit up completely.

"Bucky!" Steve said, shocked.

"I'm just saying!" Bucky held out his hands up in defense. "We've all been on missions like crazy lately, and being locked in here with nowhere to go is far from a vacation no matter how much it might seem like it. And camping sounds real nice right about now."

"Ha!" You folded your arms. "It's four against two, majority vote." You narrowed your eyes at Steve and he sighed softly, closing his.

"I said I want to go though!" Peter protested, hopping over closer to you. "Camping's fun!"

"Yeah, I know that, that's why I thought of it." You huffed. "But who knows what'll happen if _Mr. Stark_ finds you missing? He'll probably flip the city searching for you. We don't want him worrying, so it's best if you just stay right here." You smiled sarcastically.

"And he won't worry if _you_ go missing? The rest of the team?" Peter questioned, a bit of annoyance in his tone.

"You see, I'll be with the rest of the team, I'll be safe even though I could hold my own."

"Right. Safety in numbers. So let me go with you!"

"Hm," you scrunched up your nose like you were thinking about it. "No." Peter's face dropped. "Heimdall only knows what would happen if you get one teensy little mosquito bite on that flawless skin of yours and Tony notices, so how about you find something to do? You're smart, go mess with some of Tony's tech." You saw Peter glare at you out of the corner of your eye for a brief second before his eyes lit up, barely noticeably, and he turned around and plopped in the corner of the couch, turning on a StarkPad that was next to him.

"You could've been a little nicer to the kid," Steve started and you rolled your eyes as you turned towards him. "We all know you don't get along, but considering we're not going _anywhere_ , that wasn't necessary."

" _Steve_ ," you groaned, pretending to force yourself to walk to him, and leaning over his chair, dropping your head right next to his behind him. "Stevie, Captain America, Cap, the Star-Spangled Man With A—"

"All right, just get to your point Y/N," Steve said flatly, ignoring the chuckles coming from Natasha, Sam, and Bucky.

"My point is, if Tony's going obsess over one little blip in the screen that could potentially look irregular but is really just a normal glitch because he has the cameras on _all_ the time," you took a breath because you'd just spit that all out in one. "Let him obsess! But we don't deserve to suffer in wait."

"What can you do if we go out camping that you can't do here?" Steve asked.

"Be surrounded by nature," Natasha shrugged.

"Get clean air," Sam added.

"See the stars," Bucky continued, and you saw Steve's face soften, a face you don't see too often, but when you do it's golden.

"It'll be fun man, come on! You can bring your book, although any one of us could tell you about Dracula, it's a classic." You took his bookmark and slotted it between the pages. "I'll bring Wanda's guitar and we can sing around the campfire, make s'mores, and fish and go swimming! Just call it a group retreat if it helps you sleep better."

"Even if I said yes," you started to smile triumphantly. "How would we leave without Tony knowing? He wants us to stay here in case something’s wrong."

"Uh—" You started, but were cut off by Peter.

"I just looped the cameras here, in the bedroom halls, and the first floor to show footage from ten minutes ago when we were doing nothing so anything we do won't be seen by Mr. Stark if he checks. I muted F.R.I.D.A.Y. too, so she didn't hear anything except Cap standing his ground and she won't hear any of this either. So, I think we should go now before it gets dark and there's more of a chance for him to look over and see sunlight on the cameras when it's nighttime." Peter grinned, dropping the StarkPad and reveling in the rooms awed faces.

"Way to go, Baby Spider!" Sam whooped, clapping his hands and standing up. "You heard the kid, let's get going people!"

"Seriously?" You groaned, but then sighed, forcing yourself to meet Peter's eyes, where, under your gaze, his smile faltered a little and his expression changed to look like he was looking for something.

"I _just_ want to go with you guys," Peter said softly, eyes on you as he spoke.

"Whatever." You shook your head, taking a deep breath. "Thanks Web-Head." You mumbled, paying no attention to the grin on Peter's face and turning to everyone else, the people still sitting now standing up. "Only pack the necessities: clothes, including a bathing suit, sleeping bags and a tent or two if we have them. I got the food and stuff handled. We need to move quickly, so _no distractions_." You cleared your throat, the people that last comment was directed to knowing who they were, and everyone dispersed to gather the things they needed. "Oh! And don't bring any electronics! Keep our phones, in _case_ something happens, but I don't want to see anyone on them for longer than five minutes, got it?"

Peter literally bounced off the walls as he headed in the direction of the room he has at the compound for the times he stays over, using them to avoid the foot traffic and Natasha gracefully following behind him. Bucky, Sam and Steve behind her.

The majority of them came back less than ten minutes later, just as you were finishing stuffing bottles of water into a bag filled with food and anything else you could think of to grab with a backpack or duffel bag with them. Nat entering the room and going straight to the elevator effortlessly carrying a bag of her own and a tent over her shoulder.

"I gotta go get some clothes real quick, but I'll meet you guys in the garage, okay?" You called to them as you stuffed the bag you filled with food into Steve's arms, flashing him a grin before bounding down the hall to quickly grab two outfits and a bathing suit to wear. "I call shotgun!"

Stepping out of the elevator, you frowned to see the van waiting in front of you and Steve sitting in the passengers seat. "Sorry Y/N, but if Natasha is driving, I think I need to be here in case she gets too reckless." The redhead smirked, rolling her neck and shaking her head, chucking lightly to herself.

"Fine." You groaned, opening the side door and glancing at the seats. "Good. We're avoiding as much annoyance as we can." You grinned as you saw Sam and Peter in the back seat, Bucky laughing lightly as you climbed into the one next to him, closing the door behind you and dropping your bag to the floor.

"You thought I was going to sit _next_ to the Bird Man?" Bucky joked. "You're much better company."

"Oh, shut up, you big teddy bear," Sam kneed the back of the seats.

"Play nice you two," Natasha warned, glancing back as she pulled out of the garage and sped up as she started to drive away from the compound. "There's a chance we might get brought back before we can make it a night, so let's just enjoy as much as we can when we have it."

"As much as I hate to say that's a possibility, I 100% agree." You said as you leaned forward in between the two front seats and turned your face towards the driver. "So, floor it Nat, we're wasting daylight."

"Will do," She grinned, speeding up to borderline speed limit as she turned onto the highway, and you sat back and buckled up, winking and smirking at Steve's disappointed eyes in the rear view mirror.

  
  


"You literally convinced us to do this and you're sitting up there and not down here in the water!" Sam called up to you and Natasha, who were sitting on the small cliff that overlooked the lake.

"A little too much testosterone for my liking," Natasha shrugged and you smiled. The two of you were talking for the first time in complete privacy, and it was nice.

"Aw, seriously?" Sam groaned, splashing water in your direction as if it was going to reach the two of you. "I'm under attack and need backup!" He shouted right before Peter slammed a pink donut floaty down over his head, laughing as he trapped Sam's arms and then backing away before he could counter. "The worlds two gayest grandpas don't even care about me."

"You sure got that right!" Sam frowned at Bucky's comment, glaring at the man as he smirked back and wriggled out of the donut before tossing it at Steve and Bucky, who were resting against a giant boulder in the water a couple feet behind him.

"He _does_ have a good argument about why you aren't down there," Natasha nudged you with her shoulder.

"Come on Y/N! The water's perfect!" Peter called up to you, and you raised an eyebrow before he laughed and started to swim away. Sam started to chase him.

"I'm good," you said, shifting back to lean on your arms. You _were_ thinking about diving down...

"You seriously aren't going to let whatever hatred you think you have for Peter stop you from having fun, are you?" You turned your head to face Nat. "Because we both know you want to get down there and help me beat up Wilson."

"I just didn't want him here," you mumbled, looking out into the horizon.

"He's a good kid once you give him a chance, you know," Natasha stood up and fixed her bathing suit before offering her hand to you. You knew better than to deny something being offered to you from the Black Widow, so you rolled your eyes as you clasped your hand around hers and stood up.

"I know he's not _terrible_ ," You glanced back down at the water. It was pretty hot out even as the sun was starting to set, and the water looked really pretty and you knew it would feel really good to be in.

"Good. Now let's go kick Sam's ass." She grinned devilishly as she let go of your hand, shouting a short warning before flipping off the cliff and diving into the water below. After she surfaced, you grinned and dived after her, ignoring the part of your brain that said that you and Peter were on the same side.  
  


"All right, who just did that?" You asked, turning around slowly with narrow eyes to face Peter, Natasha and Sam who were sitting on your left, and wiping off the warm marshmallow and graham cracker that hit your shoulder. The three of them just stayed silent, holding in laughter.

"Oh, you're going to be sticky forever," Bucky laughed and you whipped your head around to face him.

"And if I'm gonna be sticky, so are you." You grinned, taking off the top of your s'more, and because he was sitting night next to you, he didn't have enough time to dodge the marshmallow and chocolate you smooshed into his metal arm. "Have fun getting that out," you laughed as Bucky frowned playfully, and although Steve tried to stop it before it happened because of his sketch pad being open, once Bucky reached into the bag and threw the uncooked marshmallow at you and you took the same one and pelted it at Sam, he had no control over the food fight that ensued, his only choice to put his materials away and join.

Graham cracker crumbs were in everyone's hair, chocolate smeared in some places chocolate shouldn't be and on most people, and corn starch powdered their clothes white.

"I'm out of ammo!" You exclaimed, not seeing any more marshmallows on the ground, any left in the bag had been thrown.

"Heads up!" You heard Peter say, and you turned around just in time to see a handful of tiny white floof balls aimed at your head coming at you from Steve. You weren't able to dodge them in time, instead laughing at Peter as he dramatically jumped in front of you, playfully groaning when he got hit, and dropping to the ground. "Here, take mine," he opened his hands and the dirtied from the dirt marshmallows fell out and he tried to stop himself from laughing. "Avenge my death, Y/N,"

The fight had come to a standstill, everyone was laughing, and your hand flew to your mouth to try and control your own sounds of laughter. It was a nice moment. You were enjoying it, that was, until you realized you were enjoying it _too_ much.

Your smile dropped and you backed away, not liking the smile on Peter's face, or more accurately, you liked it too much, and that was not okay. Anger replaced your happy mood and without saying a word, you walked away, back down towards the water in the dark.

You sat down on the rocks close to shore and ran your fingers through your hair to shake out the crumbs as you looked out at the water, and then up at the moon. You took a deep breath, trying to figure out why the hell you were feeling.

"What is it about me that makes you hate me so much?" You turned your head at the sound of Peter's voice, seeing him walk down the hill and stop at a tree a couple feet behind you and lean against it, his arms down by his side but his tone defensive.

You stood up and crossed your arms, biting the inside of your cheek before answering. "I don't _hate_ _you,_ hate you." You stared at him. "Why did you follow me?"

"You obviously left because of me." He stepped forward, glancing at you before his gaze settled on your face. "And if you don't hate me, then why do you always have it out for me? You've never liked me, and-and you always try to exclude me from things. Like today."

"I really wasn't planning to be subjected to explaining myself today." You stated flatly.

"Well, this is a rare occasion, I don't think I've ever been alone with you, and I want to get answers." You paused. "I just want to know: what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, Peter!" You groaned, mad at yourself for openly admitting this to him, sitting back down on the flat rock and holding your head in your hands before dragging them down your face. "It's never been _you_ , it's the fact that you're here."

"What do you mean?" You heard Peter ask, and after a minute, his footsteps on the wet sand and gravel and then his body next to yours on the rock.

"There was just so much change going on, and you were the last straw. I-I couldn't handle it anymore." You shook your head. "Tony and Pepper, I was scared for them, then I was scared for everyone because I was left here alone while they went and saved the world from an evil manic killbot and almost died in the process and look at that! Now we have two new team members but we lost two and times are changing!" You threw your arms up into the air and dropped them back down into your lap. "And then I thought my family was breaking up, because of the stupid Accords, and I refused to pick a side and I sat, and I watched, as they argued. And when they decided to literally fight, because I didn't, I was replaced with you." You turned your head to see Peter staring at you with wide eyes.

"Y/N, I-I didn't mean to—"

"I tried to convince myself that Tony just wanted the help, but then he brought you back to the Tower and introduced you to me and he personally made sure you got home, and I don't know if you know Parker, but that's a huge deal in Tony Stark's book, I don't even think you realize how much he cares about you." You shook your head. "There were just too many new people, life was too different than from what I'm used to. Sure, I was ecstatic that Steve and Tony made up, and that everyone was back together, but when _you_ were a permanent addition, I just... I just..." you trailed off, wetting your lips because they suddenly seemed dry, and sighing.

"I didn't know that," Peter whispered. "At least now I know why you would always shoot my down every time I tried to ask you out without giving me a chance," He laughed sheepishly and your head twisted quickly to face him, your turn to be confused.

"You tried to _what_ now?" You asked, leaning back to try and get a better look at the boy next to you in the dark.

"Oh." Anyone could tell, even in the dark, that Peter was slowly going through the shades of red. "I-I thought you knew I liked you. I mean, everyone does, and- and it took a lot of begging to get them not to tell you at first, but after the first couple times I tried I couldn't care if you figured it out or not. I just thought you would've figured it out by now. I'm not very subtle." He started to back up too, not sure how he would react or how you would.

A smile slowly formed on your face, and not the good kind. You didn't care in the moment if it was a freaky moment for Peter, but you were angry, and this time, at yourself.

"I knew I was asking to get my ear chewed off and grounded when we got back to the base, but there was no way I could've predicted hearing this today," you let out a soft laugh and saw out of the corner of your eye Peter visibly relax before you turned your head again to meet his eyes, and for the first time, they weren't filled with irritation. "Why keep trying if you knew I wasn't ever going to say yes?"

"Well, I figured I might get there one day," Peter smiled for a second before worry filled his eyes. "Unless this just made you hate me even more and I ruined things even more. If-if so, please tell me right now and I'll stop—"

"Stop." Peter inhaled sharply and you groaned. "No, not like _that_ , I just meant stop talking. Jeez, you really are a Web-Head."

"What?"

"There _might_ have been another reason why I never liked you."

"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?" Peter asked hesitantly, not quite sure how else to answer.

"How about you find out?"

  
  


No one ever wakes up before Natasha, except on the nights where no one can sleep, so it wasn't too much of a surprise when you woke up and saw her sitting at the base of a tree a foot or so away from where everyone else was still asleep.

"Good morning Y/N," she said the second she noticed you, a large smirk playing across her features and you smiled confusedly, yawning and stretching before getting up and joining her.

"Morning Nat," you sat down next to her. "What's that face for?"

"What face?" She chuckled, standing up and sitting down on the log in front of the fire pit, taking a match and feeding the dwindled flames, to start cooking some kind of food you assumed, as well as a heat source because you quickly clamored over when a cool wind blew by and you shivered. "Wakey, wakey everyone!" She raised her voice, kicking Sam in the foot and her eyes on the tent where Steve and Bucky spent the night. "It's time to celebrate!"

"Celebrate what?" You asked her, glancing over at Sam who groaned and covered his eyes from the sunlight but ultimately sat up. When he saw you, his faced mirrored Natashas and that was the moment you realized what they were smirking for and rolled your eyes.

"For a vet and master assassin, you two are really immature," You chuckled, grabbing your sleeping bag and climbing back in so you were in sitting up worm position.

Soon, everyone was awake and sitting calmly around the fire, warming up and having a nice chat as you and Natasha was finishing up cooking some steak you'd stolen from the fridge back at the compound and cut into strips to make it easier to cook over an open fire.

"I wonder how Tony's gonna react," Steve hummed casually, the group turning their heads to him.

"That's one big mosquito bite, Peter," Bucky finished for him. The majority of the group laughed as Peter froze, blushing deeply and not physically moving until you nudged him reassuringly, bringing him back to the current moment and embarrassingly smiling.

Suddenly, there was a strong wind and the forest around you rustled and the six of you heard the familiar sound of a certain man in a suit of armor approaching, searching the sky, it didn't take long to see Iron Man come into view, and he powered down his repulsors and landed right in front so everyone could see him. Tony flipped his helmet up so everyone could see his annoyed face.

"I truly hate to break up the slumber party that I'm a little mad I wasn't invited too, but I just wanted to inform you that I'm okay!" He started. "Totally didn't need help from a couple of super soldiers or a deadly spy or two super powered children because I had it _completely_ under control!"

"I see you had a good night," You smiled, bringing Tony's attention to you and he pointed his finger in your direction.

"Ah, ah, ah! I know this was all you! Stealing the whole team? What if I really was in trouble?"

"Then you would've called us," Natasha stated cooly, glancing up after she'd taken the last of the meat off the flames.

"Yeah, you're lucky Wanda and Vision got back from perimeter sweep before things had a chance to get out of hand. Not that I needed their help or anything. They're a little bummed they weren't invited either, by the way."

"What happened?" And just like that, Steve was concerned.

"No. You guys missed all the fun stuff, you don't get to know," Tony snorted. "That's my food, you know that?" Tony stepped out of his suit and walked over. "You better have saved me some."

"Hey W, Vis," you acknowledged the arrival of the two other members of the team as they flew in. "Want some steak?"

" _My_ steak." Tony corrected, reaching for a slice but Natasha grabbed the plate and held it out of his reach.

"That's celebration steak," Wanda laughed, walking over and taking a slice before plopping down next to you, grinning.

"Celebrat— celebrating what?" Tony asked, almost completely done with the events he missed until his eyes landed on Peter, and the boy gave him a small nervous wave. Tony paused for a moment, doing a double take over the group and running his hands over his face before smiling, shaking his head. "Looks like Legolas owes me twenty bucks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh, I was a little rushed writing this one, I was babysitting at the time and both kids were about to wake up from their nap. So apologies if this one wasn’t up to par with the others.


	19. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New York hadn't changed, the streets still busy with people and cars, the skyscrapers reaching up to the sky, the flashing lights of department stores and neon signs. No, New York wasn't different, it just looked different because Peter was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry...
> 
> Warning(s): angst, heartbreaking guilt and grieving, little language and the intention of rape (but nothing happens, don't worry)

It had been too long.

Too long without Peter holding you in his arms, laughing in your ear as you told the most stupid jokes, seeing your smile. Too many days have passed without hearing his name fall from your lips; his own personal music.

You had been gone a month now, but it was a month too long, and it killed Peter that it won't ever get better. You were never coming back. Peter stared at his mask in his hands. The same mask he wore the day he met you. The same mask he saw you for the final time in.

He couldn't keep neglecting his duties. For a month, Spider-Man hasn't been spotted, and crime had slowly started to get more bold as they started to think Spider-Man wasn't coming back. You wouldn't want him to stop.

For the first time in thirty days, Peter took a deep breath before pulling his mask on over his head, Karen's familiar voice greeting the boy after being gone so long. Pulling himself outside, he climbed up the wall until he stood on the roof, the summer afternoon warm with cool breezes blowing through the air.

New York hadn't changed, the streets still busy with people and cars, the skyscrapers reaching up to the sky, the flashing lights of department stores and neon signs. No, New York wasn't different, it just looked different because Peter was.

Replacing his usual mindset of hopefulness and opportunity, all he saw was the bittersweet past.

Trying to shake away the memories that only brought him pain, Peter took another deep breath before jumping off, shooting a web across the street. He swung relatively low for a couple of blocks before he got back into the groove of it, the actions like riding a bike.

But he almost fell when he swung past a single lone lamppost in front of a small park.

Where he met you.

_"Are you waiting for someone?"_

_Peter had swung by here earlier, and saw a girl standing awkwardly on the sidewalk, hopeful look on her face as she stared into the park, and he smiled to himself as he kept going past, wanting to find something else to do. But coincidentally he came back this way, and two hours later, the same pretty girl was standing in the same place, hope gone from her features._

_She screamed at the sudden voice appearing next to her, and she swung her fist as she spun around to face the voice, and Peter had grabbed onto the light post, using it to help him dodge your fist while he was sticking to it upside down._

_"Sorry!" He laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He watched as your face changed from fear to confusion to realization, and surprisingly, anger._

_"What the hell? You can't sneak up on people like that!" You scolded him, and Peter tilted his head to the side. "What if I had hurt you?"_

_"Then I would've apologized for scaring you, as I'm doing now," Peter chuckled, not wanting to tell her just yet that the chances of her blow actually have landing were very low in the first place. "Sorry,"_

_Carefully, you looked at Spider-Man. "Please don't do that again."_

_"I won't. Promise." He held out his hand to shake yours, except with him being upside down and all, it was an awkward angle for you to take it. "Spider-Man," He introduced himself._

_"I know who you are," You let go of his gloved hand. "Y/N." You paused. "Why are you upside down?"_

_"Oh! Is it weird?" Peter asked, flipping down, you taking a step back. "I'll stand. Hey," He paused. "You didn't accept my apology?" he pointed out curiously._

_"Well, you scared me. That's a big no-no in my book. I don't like being scared."_

_"I'm so sorry!" He let out a breath, thinking. "How about I..." You raised an eyebrow as you waited for him to finish his sentence. "Let me make it up to you?"_

_You smiled, and the second Peter saw it was the first second he realized he was falling for you. Hard. "Alright, Spider-Man."_

Peter made a hard left. He needed to get away from the spot that made the memory play on repeat in his head. Blinking a couple of times, he pushed back the memory. Now was not the time to let you into his mind, he needed to do his job.

"Hey! My bag!" Peter heard a guy yell, and he quickly scoured the sidewalk until he found the culprit, pushing through the crowded sidewalk, holding a bookbag to his chest, and he dived down.

" _That's_ not yours!" Peter yelled, webbing the backpack and pulling it out of the thieves arms, appearing right in front of him.

"What the—" Peter cut him off, webbing the guys chest and tugging him forward, kicking his legs from underneath him and then webbing him to the sidewalk.

Peter smiled to himself, only briefly though. He hasn't been able to truly smile for a while, but it was nice to know he wasn't too rusty.

"Thank you!" The man who shouted about his bag being nabbed appeared next to Peter, bending over a little as he tried to catch his breath from running. "Thanks, Spidey. I'm glad you're back."

Peter handed the bag over. "Me too." He told the man before shooting a web and taking off back into the air.

That was only a half truth. Part of Peter thought he shouldn't be back so soon, but he other part of him thought he was gone long enough. But he also thought about how weird it was to start taking out bad guys without his partner.

Although, he couldn't kid himself. The thrill of being Spider-Man was slowly starting to come back the longer he was out on his first patrol in a month. He couldn't get rid of the fear that was still in his head, no, that was never going away.

That fear of losing someone else he cared about is what kept him from moving on, why when Ned set him up on a blind date with one of his family friends, he couldn't enjoy it, even after he forced himself to go. It had been four months since you'd been gone by then, but there was no way Peter was moving on that easily, not when everything reminded him of you.

Like his old glasses.

_Peter was just getting over his nerves of bringing you home to meet May for the first time as you entered his room, looking around. May had loved you, and his aunt had even pulled him aside to tell him how she thought you were perfect for him._

_"How come I never see you wear these?" You picked up a case and opened the black box, pulling out a pair of brown and orange full rimmed glasses and holding them up._

_"Oh," Peter stepped forward. "Well, after, you know, I got bit, it kinda fixed everything that was wrong with me, including my eyesight." He explained. "So I really don't need them anymore."_

_"Except that eyebrow," you smirked. "Can I have them?" You giggled, putting the case down and slipping the glasses onto your face._

_"Sure," Peter smiled as you pushed your hair back behind your ear and looked at him._

_"What do you think?" You posed a little. "Like 'em?"_

_Peter was speechless. The boy already knew he was in love with you, although neither of you had said it yet, and this, seeing you smile yet again at him and acting childish, just added to the list of things he loved about you._

_"Pete?" You asked him with a light laugh after watching him space out from thought for a couple of seconds._

_"What?" He shook his head and sighed, bringing himself back to reality. "You look beautiful, you always do,"_

_"Aw, thanks," you stepped toward him, watching his smile widen as you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. No matter how many times you did that, or he did, he could never get used to the blissful feeling that ran through him. "You're not too bad looking yourself, Pete,"_

_"Oh, wow," Peter laughed and you smirked._

_"What?" You let go of him and took off his glasses. "I can barely see you with those on! Everything was so blurry, I'm surprised I actually got your lips!"_

_"My eyesight wasn't_ that _bad," Peter argued. "And now I'm not sure you should keep those. I want you to see me."_

_"You keep telling yourself that," you chuckled as Peter wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed you again. "And don't worry, I want to see you too,"_

_"Oh," the two of you turned to face Aunt May's voice from the doorway. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked with a small grin._

_"Just Peter being a dork, like always," you snickered and Peter bumped your shoulder with his._

_"I'm your dork though, you're stuck with me." He told you._

_"Wouldn't want it to be anyone else,"_

At the memory, Peter grabbed the case his glasses were in and shoved them under his bed, trying to figure out why he hadn't done that a while ago. He felt his eyes tearing up, and quickly wiped them. He was supposed to be going to sleep, he didn't need to stay up any longer.

He didn't go out as Spider-Man everyday. Not as much as he used too. Even though he's been back in business for a couple of months, sometimes it was just too overwhelming and he needed to take a break for a couple of days; which he should've done beforehand anyways but never did.

Ned was ecstatic to be Peter's guy in the chair again, and for Peter getting over the major hurdle that kept him from being a hero again, although his friend knew that Peter really wasn't over it. Not all the way. He could still see the fear and hurt in his eyes. Ned knew he wasn't over you.

The two boys found a way to hack into the police radios, so instead of mindlessly swinging around until he found something good, Peter could just have Karen tune in to the nearest precinct and see if anything was called in that way. Over time, it had proved useful, Peter taking out some tougher opponents that were more hidden than random muggers and assaults.

But when he ran into the Gunther family, who were notorious for dealing drugs, again, he had to clear his mind before taking them out.

_"Damn, how big is your family?" Peter heard you make a remark as you took out a guy effortlessly, but five more men swarmed into the room._

_He glanced over at you in your blue and black suit, looking flawless as you always did in his mind, and none the less attractive, even as your face contorted into focus to dodge the knives slashing through the air at you._

_To the world, you were Nightshade. Deadly, but your healing powers came in handy whenever Peter got hurt on patrol._

_You told Peter about your powers the same day you found out Spider-Man was actually Peter Parker, the boy you had been crushing on ever since the beginning of middle school. After that, it didn't take long for you to get a suit of your own and to officially fight crime by Peter's side instead of in dark alleys, alone, with a bandanna tied around your face to mask your identity._

_The both of you knew the job was dangerous, and ever since you started fighting together, you watched each other's backs. It was nice to know that the both of you now were able to have all directions covered, working in semi-perfect sync._

_"Hey Spidey," you grunted towards him, using your garrote as a whip to trip a man charging at you. "Your five o'clock, coming right atcha," you warned him, and when you glanced over, you saw him turn left. "Your other five o'clock!" You rolled your eyes as he just nearly missed a clock to the head and instead grabbed the guys hand, spinning him and flinging him to the wall, webbing him there. "Where's your tingle when you need to use it?" You asked him, jumping behind him as you scoped out the area._

_"Not you too! Stop calling it my tingle!" He groaned even though he was wearing a smile under his mask. "I think we're good." He dropped his hands. The two of you had everyone incapacitated._

_"Hell yeah, we are," you grinned, and the both of you high fived before calling the police and leaving the scene._

The Gunthers either got out of jail early, or some of them escaped before they could get there, because Peter couldn't mistake their faces as he jumped right into the middle of a deal.

The buyers were the first to run, and only one got away before Peter shot a web grenade at the exit and the people got caught like flies in a spiders web.

"It's the Spider-Guy again!" Blake Gunther, the ringleader Graham Gunther's son, announced to the room.

"It's _Spider-Man_." Peter corrected, shooting a web and yanking the knife out of his hand. "But I'll give you benefit of the doubt, you haven't been around to see the news I assume,"

"Yeah, that's right," Blake growled, launching himself at Peter. "And I'm going to kill you for it."

"You can try, but it's gonna take a lot more than three people." Peter replied, ducking under a left hook and shooting two webs at a man behind him, one hitting his face so he couldn't see and the other yanking him off balance.

"Looks like you're down a person too," Blake chuckled. "Where's your girlfriend, Spidey?"

Peter knew he only asked the question teasingly, not knowing you were his real girlfriend, but anger rose in his chest anyway, and his usual boundaries he used to limit himself were temporarily gone as he punched Blake in the face. Hard. Knocking him out in one blow. He heard the last person come up behind him, and he jumped, flipping over him and kicking him in the back, into the wall, and he crumpled to the floor.

Peter stood, breathing heavily for a moment before he shook his head and took off, hearing the police sirens getting louder and closer.

He went to a high place, hidden, and took off his mask to breath easier. He was rethinking about whether he was really ready to be back as Spider-Man yet. There were so many people you and him took down together, so many the two of you put into jail looking for revenge, you naturally made enemies.

But if he was going to fight them again, was it really safe to risk his anger taking over every single time one of them mentioned you? Peter had always made sure when he hurt someone, it wouldn't have any lasting effects, but thinking about how hard he punched Blake, the man might be unconscious for a while. Wouldn't that be a story for J. Jonah Jameson and the Daily Bugle to twist way out of proportion?

He took a couple of days off, confiding in May and Ned, telling them everything he was feeling, and the two of them trying their best to help him.

The day Peter thought he had everything under control was the day he found out just how wrong he was.

"Somebody! Please! Help m—" Peter was on his way home for the night when he heard a woman scream for help, followed by a muffled scream and a mans voice.

"Shut up before I make you!" He hissed. "I'd hate to put a bullet in that pretty little head of yours, but I will."

Not on Peter's watch, he told himself, quickly turning in the direction he heard the woman scream and swung as fast as he could.

But unfortunately for him, the man heard him coming, and he held the crying woman in front of him, letting Peter get a glimpse of the gun before pressing it harshly into her back.

"You've got two options:" the man smiled evilly. "Move, and she dies, or better yet, back up slowly and leave us be to have our fun."

"Please," The woman started, but the man tightened his grip around her neck.

"Hey," Peter started, holding his hands out defensively. "No one needs to get hurt here," He stepped forward, but stopped when he heard the guns safety flick off.

"That's what everyone always says, but I'm tellin' you now, either _someone_ is gettin' hurt, or no one is. Take your pick, Spider-Man."

"How about you drop the gun, give me her, and I let you go?" Peter prompted.

"Good try, but we all know you won't let me get a block away before you have me all tied up. You're not changin' my mind."

Peter hesitated, quickly forming a plan in his head.

"Fine." He dropped his arms, putting a fair amount of trust that he wasn't just going to shoot the girl and run. "I'm leaving," Peter started to back up, and when he got to the end of the alley, shot a web to the right and out of view.

Peter jumped up onto the roof next to him, and silently crawled along it until he got to the edge so he could still see them.

"Would you look at that?" The man snickered to himself, pulling the gun away from the woman and turning her around to face him. "Looks like it's only you and me now,"

"P-please don't hurt me!" She sobbed, trying to get out of his grip, but his hand was tightly holding on to her shirt, keeping her in place.

"It won't hurt unless you fight baby cakes," the man said in a low voice, leaning forward, but before he could touch her again, Peter dropped down behind him and shot a web, yanking him back and the girl stumbled in the opposite direction.

"Run!" Peter yelled to her, and the girl only froze a moment before taking off as fast as her legs could take her.

"You little shit," the man growled, turning around and raising his gun as Peter advanced. The boy barely dodged the first shot that was aimed at him, but memories of the last time he heard a gunshot pushed through everything and played before his eyes, hijacking his current eyesight and slowing him down enough that when the second time the gun went off, it grazed his calf.

_"Another day's hard work completed," You grinned as Peter dropped down on the roof the two of you were meeting on, and you started to walk towards each other. "Good job today, Spider-Man," you said teasingly._

_"Not bad yourself, Nightshade," he mimicked your tone and he saw you grin before you stepped in front of him, lifting his mask enough for you to kiss him._

_"Ah," you sighed, biting your lip. "I've been waiting to do that all day,"_

_"I wouldn't have stopped you, you know. I think that would be a pretty powerful move. 'Spider-Man and Nightshade used Kiss. Very effective! Robber is now confused and can't move!'" Peter laughed as you smacked his shoulder, but happily accepted as he captured your lips in his again and hummed._

_"We should totally do that one day," you chuckled, pulling his mask back down. "Swing me home?" You asked him curiously. "It's getting late."_

_"I really don't_ want _to," Peter drawled out, reaching for your hand as you groaned playfully and backed up, not breaking eye contact with him. "How about we stay here for a couple of minutes?" He asked you and pulled you back, spinning you around as you laughed in his arms. "It's so beautiful tonight, and we're both gonna be too busy the next couple of days,"_

_"You know I always make time for you, Peter," you told him softly, and wrapped your arms around him. "But we can stay a couple minutes. Not too long though, I have to do the dishes tonight."_

_The both of you laughed and Peter pulled you closer to him, spinning you around one last time before he closed his eyes and contently rested his head on your shoulder. The both of you stood there, together with your arms around each other, but it was perfect._

_But that perfect moment was ruined when a loud gunshot pierced the silence of the night._

_The sound made Peter jump back, his head shooting up to try and locate the source. "Up for one more job tonight, Y/N—" But he stopped talking when he noticed your head slowly look down from where you were looking at him. "Y/N?" He asked confusedly before he gasped loudly._

_Neither of you had much experience with guns, especially not with snipers._

_Your blood was barely visible against the black leather of your suit, but the color was easier to see against the concrete roof as it began to drip down._

_"Well, damn," you choked out, stumbling backward, but Peter grabbed you again, keeping you standing._

_"No," Peter breathed. "No, no, Y/N, no! Oh my god!" The both of you were trying to make sense of what just happened, and you were the first to come to realization._

_"Peter, it's all right," you whispered, feeling your legs start to tremble and you couldn't hold yourself up anymore, tightening your arms around his neck and you started to cry._

_"Right," he nodded. "Right, you'll be all right," he shakily said, feeling your weight drop and helped you to the ground. "K-Karen? Call Mr. Stark and tell him to get here._ Now _!" Peter started down at you, who started coughing. "Keep your eyes open, Y/N, I swear, I'll be right back."_

_"Peter, no," you started, but couldn't finish._

_"I need to get the person who did this to you!" He said firmly. "Stay awake, Mr. Stark is coming, I-I'll be_ right back _."_

_"No." You tried sitting up but Peter stopped you. "Peter, don't leave me,"_

_"I swear," He promised you, clumsily standing up and shooting a web in the direction you were shot from. "Right back."_

_His eyes were tearing up as he swung through the air with no way to wipe them, fiercely searching the nearby rooftops for the sniper that did this. He was angry, terrified,_

_After not being able to find anyone, Peter turned back. He needed to get back to you. Karen told him about an incoming call from Tony, and he accepted._

"Peter, what happened?" _He asked urgently._ "I'm already on my way, but you can't do anything stupid. Where are you?"

_"I-I'm back with Y/N," Peter said shakily, stumbling back onto the roof where he left you and falling to his knees by your side. "Where are you?"_

"I'm coming as fast as I can,"

_"Peter," you weakly said when you noticed he was back._

_"Hey! You're doing great!" He exclaimed. "Mr- Mr. Stark is coming, and he's gonna know how to fix this. You're gonna be alright, just stay with me Y/N!"_

_"Peter, I love you," you whispered to him, weak smile on your face. Your words hit him like a bat to the gut. This wasn't the way he wanted to hear them from you for the first time. "You know that, right?" You started to cough, and Peter lifted you up so that you were laying on his lap, and he tore off his mask._

_"Don't- Y/N, don't say that. Not like this," he stuttered. "You'll be able to tell me later. When you're better."_

_"Pete," you said softly, meeting his tear filled eyes with your own. You knew you weren't going to make it, you could feel it, you had lost too much blood._

_"W-wait, y-you can heal yourself, right? Y/N?"_

_"You know I can't," you spoke, your voice trailing off and blood coming out of your mouth as you coughed again; Peter quick to wipe it away._

_"You're going to be all right," Peter repeated sternly, but his voice broke and he had to wipe away his tears._

_"I love you Peter," hearing it again made Peter break, and for the last time, he pressed his lips onto yours, feeling you smile before he whispered to you, holding tightly onto your hand while his tears hit your cheek._

_"I love you too," he spoke against your lips and you smiled._

_Peter heard Tony land behind him, his thrusters powering down and his heavy footsteps start to walk, but stopped._

_It was silent as your body fell limp under Peter, your hand loosening around his, and Peter's sobs first silent, but grew louder the more it set in that you were dead. You were never coming back._

_"It's time to go, Peter," Tony softly spoke after a couple of minutes, and the boy ignored him. "The police and paramedics are going to be here any second," He continued when the sounds of sirens filled the night. "You need to leave, I know it's hard, but they can't find you here. You'll be brought in for questioning and they'll find out you're Spider-Man."_

_"I-I can't," Peter cried. "I shouldn't have left her, I should've—"_

_"Peter," Tony placed a hand on his shoulder, trying his hardest not to look at you because he was on the verge of tears too. He needed to stay strong for Peter. "You need to go now. I'll take care of this."_

_It took Tony pulling Peter away from you at the last second to get him to leave you alone again. Pulling on his mask again, his took another look at you, still looking as beautiful as always, but your color was fading. You were lifeless. You were gone._

_Swinging away from the police cars and ambulances and helicopters, Peter collapsed on a building a couple of blocks away and screamed._

Peter hadn't realized he was still punching the man even though he was already unconscious, the gun skidded a couple feet away. But when he came to, he jumped off, taking shaky steps back, his leg stinging from being shot, and his face red and hot from the tears streaming down his face.

It was his fault.

If Peter hadn't agreed, thinking it was a great idea to have a partner fight with him, you never would've been up on the roof with him after patrol. His enemies wouldn't have been yours, and you would've been perfectly safe.

He might not have even been up there that night. You would still be with him, in his arms, in his sights where he could keep you safe. You would be sitting at home, watching movies and building LEGOs, cooking or reading. He would still have you.

But in the end, you were just another person he couldn't save. His uncle Ben died in his arms, and he couldn't help him. You did the same thing, and he couldn't do _anything_ different. He doesn't know who killed Ben, he doesn't know who murdered you.

Peter watched from afar as the paramedics picked up the guy in the alley on a stretcher. He had called them, and the police, anonymously, but he still felt guilty for putting him in that state, no matter how bad of a person he is.

Spider-Man wasn't ready to come back.

No.

Not yet.

Peter wasn't ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t sleep, so there was today’s update, which I normally would’ve put up like ten hours from now. Maybe I’ll make today a double update.


	20. Just Like An Old Western

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The place was like an apartment of its own, having it's own living room, kitchen, and a hallway that could very well have bathrooms and/or bedrooms. What intrigued Peter the most was the two glass rooms tucked in the corner. They were both fairly large, and one of them he could clearly see into, tables set up, lining the walls and floor. The other, the blinds were down and he couldn't see into at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do Starks do best?
> 
> Happy Birthday Steve! :D  
> Oh, and Happy Fourth of July too!

Peter woke up a half hour before his alarm with a grin on his face when the memory of what today was made it's way into his dream. He swung his legs off his bed, watching how much he bounced so he wouldn't hit his head on the top bunk, and he got ready for school faster than he normally would; clothes flying through the air as he changed, throwing his backpack on the couch as he ran out of his room to get to the bathroom, humming to himself as he brushed his teeth.

"Someone's in a good mood today." May stated when Peter finally settled down at the small table in the kitchen where the two of them ate breakfast. The woman was buttering some toast.

"I'm just starting an actual internship at the Avengers Compound, no big deal," The boy shrugged, although anyone could tell how much excitement he was hiding with one look in his direction.

May frowned a little before shaking her head and smiling. "I didn't forget, but I didn't realize that was today." She placed a plate of food in front of Peter and sat down in the chair next to him. "Just promise me you won't make any deadly lasers or killer robots?"

"Don't worry," Peter laughed. "I'm probably just going to work on suit upgrades."

"Like making it bulletproof?" The woman narrowed her eyes at her nephew. Initially learning that the boy was the Spider-Man who swung around, looking for danger and people to help was a bit of a shock, and took some getting used to, but ultimately she supports his vigilantism. But even so, there was a lot his powers couldn't protect him from, like if he ran into someone who was too trigger happy.

"Yes, yeah, I'll add that to the list."

"Should be number one!" May pointed her fork at him before taking a bite of her eggs.

"What time is it?" Peter asked impatiently, glancing at the clock.

"You still have hours to go. The day just started. Eat up."

"Do you think Tony Stark is going to pick you up from school?" Peter heard Ned whisper to him in Chemistry class.

"What? No!" Peter whispered back. "He's too cool for that. I'm not too sure, but I'm guessing Happy is going to bring me again."

"The grumpy bodyguard you were telling me about?" Ned further questioned.

"Yeah." Peter tilted his head, catching what he said. "Wait, no, he's not _grumpy_ ,"

"Okay, well, do you think Tony Stark is going to be there at all?"

"I don't know man," Peter whispered. "I doubt he has time for a kid like me."

"Yeah, you're right man." Ned nodded with a sigh.

"Dude!" Peter looked shocked, nudging his best friend with his shoulder while Ned just shrugged. "Come on, let's just do our work."

By the time ninth period rolled around, Peter was ready to leave the school with a cloud of dust trailing behind him. He was glancing up at the clock every couple of minutes, which while he knew didn't make time go faster, he couldn't help but to do it.

He couldn't stop fantasizing about what his own workspace would look like, what he would have access too, and if he really would be able to work with _the_ Tony Stark again. He got lost in his head a little longer than he expected, and he had to rush to get his work done before the bell rang.

Peter stood outside the school, waiting anxiously on the side of the front steps, trying to figure out what to do. He was sure Mr. Stark had told him when he called in the middle of patrol the other day out of the blue, that he had said to come over _today_. Peter didn't know what to do. He hadn't got a text from Happy, although he'd texted him. He didn't have enough money on him for a bus ticket, and he couldn't swing that far because there wasn't any buildings along the highway. Besides, the compound was pretty secluded.

As of right on cue, Peter's phone buzzed in his hand, nearly causing the boy to drop it. Turning it on, he saw a text saying go to the back of the school, and while that normally would've been a sketchy text, Peter nearly ran to meet Happy who was parked behind the school, privately waiting for him.

"Hey Happy!" Peter greeted, well, happily, opening the passenger side door but stopping when the man glared at him.

"No."

"Fair enough." Peter frowned, closing the door and trying again.

"Please. No filming this time." The man spoke before meeting Peter's eyes in the rear view mirror after he had climbed into the backseat. He gave Peter a sarcastic smile as he put up the divider. Peter sighed and prepared himself for a silent drive, although it wasn't even ten minutes before he tried to engage in conversation again, and then ten minutes after that.

"... and that's how we had to get a new fridge, and why I'm slowly paying May back for breaking the old one!" Peter finished his story. Happy had stopped trying to get the kid to shut up a while ago and just let him talk. Didn't necessarily mean he was fully listening.

"That's nice, you should've saved that one and the three others for Tony." Peter jumped when the back seat door opened, he was too caught up in his retelling to notice Happy had gotten out.

"Oh. We're here?" Peter hopped out of the car, grabbing his book bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Am I even going to see Mr. Stark? I know he's pretty busy."

"I know I'm pretty, thank you." Peter spun around to face the most recognizable voice in the world with a grin forming on his face, but when he noticed, he cleared his throat and shook his head, pretending like he wasn't so excited to see Tony.

"Hi Mr. Stark!" Peter waved. "I just wasn't sure how everything was going to work, or what was going on," the boy trailed off.

"I got it from here, Hap," Tony waved the man, supposedly dismissing him and clapped an arm around Peter's shoulders leading him through the giant doors of the compound. Happy was still following them, of course. "I would've been in that car too if I hadn't had to settle a debate with someone you'll meet pretty soon."

"Oh! Is it Ms. Potts?" Peter asked excitedly as they walked into an elevator and they started to go up. "I was just reading about how she's impacted Stark Industries, we did a project on her in school!"

"That's nice. I'm sure she wants to meet you too. Maybe. Probably."

There was a small silence, and Peter struggled to settle on a topic to fill it. "So where would I be working?"

"Here." Tony gestured forward as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out, beckoning the boy with his head to follow him.

The place was like an apartment of its own, having it's own living room, kitchen, and a hallway that could very well have bathrooms and/or bedrooms. What intrigued Peter the most was the two glass rooms tucked in the corner. They were both fairly large, and one of them he could clearly see into, tables set up, lining the walls and floor. The other, the blinds were down and he couldn't see into at all.

"Woah," Peter breathed, slowly spinning to take in the whole place. "This is all mine?"

"Well it _is_ a community space," Tony shrugged. "That empty lab is all yours. If anything is labeled in the fridge, don't touch it, anything unlabeled is up for grabs. You should remember that. And if you have any questions, just ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. or someone else." He started to walk away.

"Wait! You're not staying?"

"Hm?" Tony spun around to face Peter after he stepped into the elevator again. "Oh, no, I'm waiting for something."

"Oh. Okay then." Peter didn't want his disappointment to show. He spent not even five minutes with the man. But then again, he _was_ busy.

"Don't worry, you'll fit right in."

"Right." Peter smiled, waving goodbye as the elevator doors closed and then he turned around to face the empty workshop. He started in the direction of the glass doors when a large clatter of metal falling to the ground startled him, followed by what sounded like a power tool.

It didn't take long for him to figure out that it was coming from the room next door, and before he knew it, Peter found himself walking over.

Although the blinds were down, the grinding and scraping metal noises coming from the room had Peter curious. Mr. Stark didn't say anything about him not having any restrictions on this floor, so what harm would checking it out be?

As he got closer to the door, he noticed it was open an inch, and instead of knocking, he just pushed it open, his mouth opening in awe at the sights of the countless mechanics displayed messily around the room, not yet seeing what was causing the noise.

Stepping in, he didn't notice the creak in the floorboards underneath him his first step, too amazed with the room. But Peter didn't get another step before his sense warned him about a danger he was yet to discern.

He wasn't able to dodge the screwdriver that flew through the air, catching the fabric of his shirt by his shoulder and piercing it, lodging it, and him, to the wall. His backpack uncomfortably pressing into his back.

"Woah!" He breathed out, panicked.

"Who are you?" A voice demanded, stopping his action of reaching for the screwdriver and Peter's head shot up to see whoever spoke, his large brown eyes meeting narrow Y/E/C ones. A girl, his age, he thought.

"M-my name's Peter!" He blurted. Her stare was intimidating, and he immediately got the feeling he shouldn't get on her bad side. If he already wasn't. "Peter Parker? I- Mr. Stark said I could—"

"Oh," she interrupted him, a large smile appearing on her face, and Peter wasn't sure whether he should be uneasy or relieved. "You're the Spider-Boy."

"It's Spider-Man," Peter frowned, but then panic rose in his chest again. "I-I mean, that's his name. Spider-Man. _I'm_ not Spider-Man, I'm Peter. Parker."

"Chill, Spidey," The girl laughed and Peter froze as she walked forward and stood in front of him, smirking as her right hand wrapped around the handle of the screwdriver, her arm pressing into his chest as she leaned forward. Peter's breath hitched in his throat as he tried not to look too nervous about the lack of distance between them. "Dad already told me who you were."

"Da— dad?" Peter asked before stifling a gasp as she pulled the screwdriver out from the wall, tilting her head to the side as she spun it in between her fingers.

"Eh, you know him as _Mr. Stark_ ," she raised her eyebrows as she watched the screwdriver twirl like a baton in her hand before glancing back up at Peter, biting her lip before another smirk appeared. "You're cuter than I thought you would be,"

"Oh. I-um," Peter wasn't too sure how to react, his lips pressed together and his eyes immediately found the ground in attempts to hide the blush he felt slowly creeping up his neck. He heard the girl chuckle to herself before he felt her hand pat his cheek, making his head shoot back up to look at her with wide eyes.

"Looks like I'll be able to have some fun with you," she said teasingly before swiftly turning around. "I'm Y/N, by the way," Peter let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and took a wary step forward.

"Y/N...Stark?" He asked slowly.

"Yu _p_." Y/N answered. "Don't worry, the world doesn't know about me either. You're not the only one." She stopped at a small stainless steel work table and then turned her head to face Peter again. "You really should knock, you know."

"I just thought— the door was open," Peter scrunched up his nose and he glanced behind him at the door, eyes also finding the wall next to it where there were multiple holes in the wall. More screwdriver attacks, he thought.

"Yeah, but still, didn't anyone teach you anything about manners?" Y/N laughed dryly. "I thought you were Dad when I heard the door open, but he knows better than to step where you did, so that only meant one thing: intruder." She narrowed her eyes at the boy again, but less threatening this time.

"The floor?" Peter glanced and the floor and the wooden paneling, eyebrows drawn together from confusion.

"Yeah. The squeaky board. I put it there on purpose. Dad nearly had a heart attack when I ruined his floor." Peter looked at her again as she chuckled and watched as she picked up what looked like a black bracelet. "After factoring in the normal length of a human footsteps and shoe size, I found the the most probable place that anyone would take a first step into this room, and replaced the board to purposely make it squeak. It's brilliant really, but that's just my opinion. I just want to know who's entering my private workspace and if I should be worried."

"Just like an old western? When the newcomer enters the saloon and everyone goes silent because regulars would know not to step there?" Peter laughed, scratching the back of his head, watching the girl smile and nod her head. "You must have really good hearing, then," Peter pointed out the obvious, a smile of disbelief on his face.

"Only learned from a couple of master assassins, no big deal," Y/N sighed, collapsing into the chair behind her and turning to face Peter. "So, what _are_ you here to do, exactly?" She asked him, and Peter then knew that he wasn't in any immediate danger and relaxed fully, taking another, more casual, step towards her and letting his eyes explore the rest of the room.

"Well Mr. Stark, you-your dad, is giving me a real internship here." Peter stammered. "Actually, it's more like he's letting me have a place where I can work on anything and it be safe."

"Makes sense," Y/N jumped up. "He has a soft spot for you, you know. Haven't seen him be like that with anyone else but me and Harley."

"H-Harley?"

"You'll meet him sooner or later," Y/N waved her hand in dismissal of the subject. "This is my floor, he did tell you that?"

"Uh, no, actually. He told me—"

"Peter!" The two teens turned their heads towards the door when they heard Tony's voice shout. "Hey kid, where are you?"

"In here!" Y/N casually shouted back, and after a moment, Tony appeared in the doorway, pausing momentarily as he looked into the room where his daughter was lazily sitting down, fiddling with one of her projects in her hands and Peter standing a couple feet away from her, small rip in his shirt by his right shoulder.

"I kinda forgot to warn you about her," Tony let out a soft sigh, but the smirk appearing on his face said it was completely on purpose. "Seems like you already met Y/N?"

"Yeah," Peter chuckled softly. "The weirdest introduction I've had to anyone, by far," He said with a smile, Y/N smirking again and averting her gaze from Tony's face. "I didn't know you had a daughter!"

"Well, there were some legality issues at first, then this one right here," he pointed at  
Y/N "was _way_ too much like me already, and had opinions of her own. Long story short: secret kid." He smiled as Y/N shrugged. "It's easier than dealing with the press, and her having her face plastered everywhere her entire life like I did. She didn't hurt you, right?" Peter took notice as Tony stepped in; no creak.

"Me? What? Oh! No, just got my shirt," Peter shrugged, pulling at the tear in the fabric before dropping it.

"Hey, did you get it on tape?" Tony then turned his head to Y/N, and Peter watched with confusion as a grin replaced her smile and she rolled her chair to a table behind her and plucked up a StarkPad, tossing it to her dad.

"Hey!" Peter protested. "You set me up!"

"No, he was just adding to the growing collection. How many do we have now?"

"Counting Peter and Rhodey, ten."

"Nice."

"Well, if you have me recorded, I at least want to see it." Peter frowned, crossing is arms.

"Eh, maybe." Tony snorted as he watched the instant replay, curiously glancing up at Y/N after he saw her on the screen. "Alright you kids, I'll be back to tell you when dinner's ready, Pep's pretty insistent we all actually eat tonight. Be safe."

"Safe?" Peter asked, turning around and his eyes following Tony as he walked out again, it getting it right after he heard Y/N chuckling behind him, turning a light shade of red and tried his best to shake it off.

"So Spider-Boy," Peter heard Y/N start to speak and he spun back to face her, just barely in time to catch the very screwdriver she pinned him with. "Show me what you got."


	21. Jedi, We Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's a Padawan?" You asked out of the blue, and you swore Peter's head shot up faster than the speed of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the title may suggest, I wrote this chapter a couple months ago for May the Fourth and you may have guessed, it's Star Wars themed!

"Wow Tony, I can't believe you did that." You said, your eyes widening a little but not leaving the monitor screen.

"Excuse me, what did I do now?"

"That Spider guy you went to Queens to get last year?" You looked up, meeting Tony's eyes as he waited for you to finish speaking. "He was only fourteen?" You laughed.

"So? He has potential. I kept him out of any real trouble." He spun back around to his table before slowly turning to you again. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Oh, this random kid showed up on the cameras. He came in with Happy, so I'm assuming he's here for you, but since I didn't really recognize him, I looked him up."

"Y/N, three questions: why the hell are you looking at the cameras? Don't you have something better to do? And why did you run facial recognition on a fifteen year old kid?" Before he could get any answers, F.R.I.D.A.Y. piped up,

"Happy Hogan and Peter Parker have just entered the private elevator and are heading to this floor, Boss,"

"Thanks, I figured as much," Tony frowned, answering the A.I, the thought of him teaching you too much, an example being you being quick enough to run facial that you knew who exactly Peter Parker was before he even got the alert from his own security system, running through his head. You couldn't have waited two more minutes to meet the kid face to face?

"I got nothing better to do, you didn't want me in the lab today." You responded to his questions, being met with a sigh.

"Shut that down." Tony told you. "I want to see social interaction."

"No way!" You gasped, closing out the surveillance cameras and pushing off the table in your chair to roll over to the man. "You didn't!"

"I didn't what? I don't speak fluent teenager yet." He deadpanned, glancing in your direction before starting to put away the tools he was using on a small project.

"You're not trying to get me to make _friends_ , are you?" You questioned accusingly. "It's not a coincidence you made me cancel all my plans and hang out all day with you." You then said playfully.

"First of all, ow," Tony rolled his eyes. "Secondly, you didn't have plans, you were in your room blaring music, eating chips, and reading a book."

"Uh, _plans_." You exaggerated the word. "And I was gonna to go out with Wanda later. You know she's leaving soon." You pouted for a second before cracking a smile. You couldn't really be sad, or mad, you knew Tony has wanted you to meet Peter for a while, since Germany, but you never really had the time. You either were strengthening your powers to reduce mental strain with Wanda, or you were building something. Any free time you had, you spent relaxing, not really wanting any human interaction. That's just how you've been since your family, basically, split up.

"You'll have a chance later, you got a little while longer." He stood up and turned off the monster, ignoring your small protest. "You'll like him, promise." 

"I don't know man, maybe I will. But not a lot of people like me."

Before Tony could say something, the two of you heard the elevator ding and your heads turned to face the two humans who just walked in.

"Hi Mr. Stark!"

"I don't know how much more babysitting I can take." Happy groaned. He made sure Peter was situated; the boy was smiling in amazement at the place he's only barely seen once before, before turning around and hurriedly heading back to the elevator before he got another assignment below his pay grade.

You snickered to yourself a little as you watched Peter with a curious eye. He hadn't noticed you yet, too caught up in the room in all it's greatness.

"Hey kid," Tony's voice made Peter turn away from where he was staring the small living space just around the corner, and he straightened out, putting his full attention on the man, and in the process, seeing you for the first time.

"Hi?" He waved confusedly, a nervous smile playing on his lips and you returned the action minus the greeting.

"Now that we have your attention, you'll have plenty of time to explore later, Peter, this is Y/N. Y/N, you already know Peter. You two'll have more time to chat later too, I just want to clear up some things real quick."

"Actually Mr. Stark," Peter started, walking forward and tugging at his book bag straps, glancing at you. "I was just about to ask why I'm here anyway." You didn't say anything, waiting for clarification as well, and you began to occasionally spin in your chair, ignoring the temptation to turn on the monitor again and to do something.

"Well, other than meeting my other responsibility, I wanted to offer you an internship here." Tony shrugged casually before catching Peters wide eyes. "A "real" internship."

"You're kidding," Peter breathed, a wide smile making its way onto his face. "Work here?"

"I figured you might want some training from the best engineer in the world." Tony said with his normal Stark ego speaking. "I could use another apprentice. This one basically knows just about everything I do and then some. She actually _likes_ learning." He teased and you rolled your eyes, turning around to hide an embarrassed smile.

"Woah! That would be amazing!" Peter was practically ready to start already, bouncing anxiously on his heels. "I can be like your Padawan!"

"Here we go again with the movie references," Tony sighed, shaking his head. "Sure. Whatever floats your boat." No one really noticed the weird look on your face. You kind of got the reference, but weren't entirely sure what movie it was from. You were never able to watch many movies before you started living with the Avengers.

"When- when do I start?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Now?" Tony glanced at you, who just shrugged. "Yeah, today. Today'll work. Will today work for you Mr. Parker?"

"Yeah. Yeah! Today's perfect!"

Tony grinned, clapping his hands, and there was a silence. You broke it.

"Well, I don't want to be disrupting," you stood up, grabbing your phone from where it was powered off on the desk. "I'll just get going and leave you two be."

"Y/N/N," Tony said almost whine-like, giving you a look asking you to stay, but you just smiled weakly and started to leave.

"I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." You told them. You couldn't kid yourself, you were feeling pretty awkward, as if you would ruin their dynamic. You weren't really a social person and didn't really handle people you didn't know very well.

"At least come out for dinner?"

"Since when did Tony Stark eat dinner?" You chuckled. "Just send a text or something." You waved goodbye, and left the room.

You'd spent the time at the other end of the base with Wanda actually, rather than going to your room. The two of you really didn't have much to do, and you wanted to spend as much time as you could with her and Vision before they both left for Scotland; they had decided.

Wanda had been telling you to give Peter a chance. That he'll listen to you and in return, you should listen to him. She said that you guys could be great friends, and that information made you even more silent then you normally were during dinner.

Pepper seemed happy that Tony was happy, and you watched as she enjoyed talking with and finding out more about Peter. You were pretty distracted, barely saying a word. Besides, the conversation wasn't involving you. At least, at the time it wasn't.

"How was your day, Y/N?" Peppers voice made you look up from your plate where you were repeatedly stabbing a piece of chicken.

"Little boring," you smiled a little. "I watched surveillance videos all day."

"Before you can pin that on me, that was of her own free will. I offered to have her help work on Mark—" he stopped himself. "Not another suit, I swear, just a little side project. Fixing up something old. But yeah, she chose not to help me."

"To be fair," you countered. "I'm still working on the whole working with Tony Stark thing." You laughed dryly. "I was already a little annoyed _before_ we started."

"It was worth it though, right?" Tony sighed, correcting himself. "I mean, it totally could've been worth it. It's still up to you."

"What are you two talking about?" Pepper asked the question, Peter's face portraying the confusion.

"Oh, nothing." Tony shrugged, and while to Peter it might've sounded like the end of a conversation, people who've been around him long enough, people like you and Pepper, knew better.

The room fell into silence again, and for the first time that evening, it started to get a little tense and awkward. You frowned for a moment before thinking of a way to break it.

"What's a Padawan?" You asked out of the blue, and you swore Peter's head shot up faster than the speed of light.

"You don't know Star Wars?" He asked incredulously, his brown eyes large and staring right at you.

"Ah, right," you said softly. Star Wars sounded familiar. Obviously, it was everywhere. "I've never really watched it, no, but that makes sense now."

"Do you not like it, or have you just not seen it before? Because if you haven't seen it before, you really need to watch them all. They just reignited the saga, and the eighth movie just came out earlier this year and it was super cool! B-but if you just don't like it, that's cool too." You watched the boy go from being really excited to really hesitant in a matter of seconds. Your eyes glanced around the room; everyone was waiting for you to respond.

"Oh, well, it's not that I don't like it, I've just never watched them before." You admitted quietly, shrugging. "Never really had the time."

"That's crazy." Peter shook his head and laughed. "You should watch them ASAP. You don't have to though, I mean, I'm not telling you you should, just a suggestion..." This time you actually cracked a smile.

"I'll check them out," you told him. You should have more free time soon. Should.

"Okay." Peter replied, his nerves from talking to you settling. You felt the two adults gaze on you and you quickly glanced at their eyes, amusement in both sets.

Days passed, and you noticed Peter was coming over to the Compound more frequently. Every time, Tony would invite you to work with them, on whatever they were working on, but you would turn him down. Wanda and Vision were only staying for a few more days, and you wanted to spend as much time with your best friend as you could. You could take a break from mechanics and technology.

But eventually, that day did come, and they did leave. It was a Friday, and you had been pretty down in the dumps, wallowing in your room, when the idea of binge watching Star Wars didn't sound too bad at the moment.

It took you a little while to decide which order to watch them in, you found there was a whole debate either to watch them in Episode order or release order, but you had figured it out.

What you weren't expecting though, was to fall in love with the saga and it's characters, although it was only your first watch-through. The new world was one you knew you immediately would love to live in. From the iconic theme song you've only heard once or twice before in passing to the very last Ewok to the very existence of midichlorians. Midichlorians, and the Force, in fact, intrigued you a lot. As well as the weapon of a Jedi. And you knew right away what you were going to do next.

"I hate that these words are coming out of my mouth," You barely heard Tony's voice, but you turned around when you did. "But the AC/DC needs to be turned down a tiny bit."

You read his lips because his words weren't entirely audible, and got the memo, turning down the volume of Thunderstruck by half.

"What's up?" You asked with a smile on your face, taking a deep breath before turning back to the metal you were soldering in front of you.

"Have you slept?"

You rolled your eyes. "Of course I have."

"Well, you haven't left this place in over twenty-four hours. You know this isn't important, you could take a break, right?"

"Eh, I just slept in here," you waved your hand. "And it's necessary for me to do. Besides, I already finished one."

"You're making another?" Tony asked, his voice laced disbelief. "Wait, no, rewind." He stepped towards you, looking over your shoulder. "You already made one? One that works?"

"Fully functional." You beamed, placing down the soldering iron and taking off your gloves and goggles. "I need at least one more, it'll be no fun without a second. Plus, the colors are really pretty."

"You're crazier than I am."

"I'm _nowhere_ as crazy as you." You scoff, turning to face him, crossing your arms. "But I will accept cooler."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." Tony pouted, backing up back towards the door and making eye contact with you. "You have Peter to thank for this, you know," you shrugged.

"Don't worry, I was going to tell him."

"You need to eat something. I'm gonna make lunch, meet me and Peter upstairs?"

"Where's Pep?"

"Shopping. She hated the ingredientsin the fridge." Tony smiled and you nodded your head.

"No spoiling!" You warned him as he walked out, and the man sent back a thumbs up as he walked out of the door.

After a couple of minutes, you turned your music back up, the next song on your playlist making it's entrance, and you got back to work.

It hadn't been been a half hour before your music abruptly cut off, the sound of F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s filling the room, telling you of Peter's arrival before your music resumed on full blast. You turned it down though, to a normal-ish level. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have heard the knock on the door.

"It's open," you told him, glancing in the direction, focusing back down on what was in front of you after you saw the door open.

"Hey," Peter said hesitantly after stepping in. "Mr. Stark's just taking a little longer than I thought he would. Did you know he actually cooks?" He laughed a little. "Anyway, I hope it's okay if I hang out in here." You turned your head to face the boy again when you heard his voice get softer. "I just didn't really want to be alone."

"Nah, it's cool." You told him, a smile on your face.

"What are you working on?" You heard Peter walk across the room and towards you. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Another lightsaber," the words rolled so casually off your tongue, and you watched his reaction.

"Another— wha-what? Did you just say _another_ lightsaber?" Peter stopped dead in his tracks, his voice raising from excitement and disbelief.

"Another one. Yeah." You shrugged, wondering how much longer you could keep up the calm act. "I finally watched Star Wars. Wanna see?" You picked up the hilt in front of you, the metal was now cool, and you were just adding some finishing touches. Mainly just for show.

"Uh- what? Y-yeah!" Peter bounced towards you as you turned around, eagerness in his eyes. "It works?" He asked quietly, his voice not able to go any higher from excitement.

"Turn it on and find out." You told him, leaning against the table as he took a step back. "For the disappointing lack of the Force in real life, I added sensors that connect to both a heartbeat and your brain, so you could turn it on and off at will, and if it goes skidding out of your hands, it'll immediately shut off." You started to tell him, silencing your music.

You wished you were recording, because if you were, you could've rewound to the very moment where Peter's brain exploded and he lost all function for a moment as he turned on the saber for the first time, the light shooting up and almost causing the boy to drop the weapon. The happiness and disbelief on his face being highlighted by the light of the green saber. The quiet hum filling the room.

"I had to make maybe not so obvious modifications." You began again, standing up and circling the boy as he started to move again, slowly waving the lightsaber through the air, staring at it in awe. "Like the actual blade itself? Tony said me messing with gamma radiation, which would've been the closest to canon, would be too dangerous for me to attempt on my own, so instead of pure light, I had to settle for a laser emitted by a _very_ powerful miniature accelerator. Kyber crystals sadly aren't real either, so I had to find another stabilizing agent that could also be used to change the color of the blade. I'd say I did fairly well."

"Fairly well? That's an understatement!" Peter laughed, meeting your eyes and then grinning. "This- this is so cool! I don't have to pretend to make the noises anymore!" He turned away from you and pointed the weapon horizontally in front of him.

"Careful where you put that thing." You threw an apple at him, and you knew between his sixth sense Tony told you he had, and the childishness the two of you both shared, he'd go for it with the lightsaber, which he did, successfully slicing it in half in mid-air, him gasping out loud again. "It can do some serious damage. Flip the safety switch. I also added that, so it's kinda like a training saber and a real one in one. It's the small gray lever." After composing himself, Peter followed your directions.

"You said you had another one?" He asked after a minute, still staring at the before only fictional weapon in his hand until he turned it off, giving his full attention to you, and you can see in his eyes what he wanted to do. It's what you wanted to do too.

"Do you wanna have a lightsaber battle?" You asked mischievously, seeing his entire face brighten and Peter rapidly nod his head. "Come on, follow me." You gestured with your hand for him to follow you out of the room, and the two of you quickly cleared the living space, pushing all the furniture against the walls so you had an open floor.

"Where's yours?" Peter asked after the two of you had finished. He was standing on one end of the room, lightsaber in hand, ready for battle, and you on the other. Defenseless.

"I wanted a more dramatic entrance, you can't blame me." You smirked up at him, widening your stance and holding your arm out to your side. And in a matter of seconds, as if you were summoning Mjolnir, your lightsaber came flying to your hand, and just like you had practiced, it turned on immediately, a pretty imperial topaz (you thought the name was ironic) bordering garnet color blade illuminating the side of your face and top of your arm. Telekinesis was your main power after all.

" _Ooh_ that is you're so _awesome_!" You and Peter both shared a grin and he turned on his lightsaber.

There was a moment of where the only sound was your lightsabers hum filling the room, the playful tension quickly spreading before the two of you charged.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	22. A Sleep Performance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn't beat up, no, but you could tell he was drained. Peter's smile faded when yours did. His skin was a little paler than normal, and his eyes were bloodshot with deep purple bags underneath. He was exhausted, and you weren't sure how you didn't notice it before. It must've been days before he got this bad. 
> 
> "Why aren't you sleeping, Pete?" You asked him immediately, running your thumb across his cheek before sighing. "Something wrong?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm terrible at coming up with chapter names, I really am.

You rolled your eyes after hearing the familiar soft tapping on your bedroom window. The sound had startled you, making you jump a little because you were sitting in silence as you were doing the homework you procrastinated doing for too long, but you knew exactly who it was and with a small smile, you stood up and grinned at Spider-Man's mask through the window after you had pulled back the curtains.

"Password?" You asked playfully, and Peter smiled beneath his mask. Whenever you were extra bored, or extra childish, you would ask this question.

"Did you change it again?" He asked, his voice already muffled from his suit, and muffled even more because there was an inch of glass between the two of you.

"Of course not!" You exclaimed, pretending to be insulted.

"Then it's...um...sherbet lemon?" Peter asked, unsure of himself. The last password was "Spidey's the best" and it was a really easy answer to memorize, but you had gone and changed it on him once you'd reread the Harry Potter books.

Stifling a laugh, you pulled up your window, holding your hand out for your best friend to grab to help him climb through. Even if he didn't need your help.

"It's pretty late Pete," you hummed, heading back to your bed where you were doing your homework, looking at the clock which read 9:00 and smoothing your hair. "How long you plan on staying?"

"I can breathe!" Peter exclaimed over dramatically as he ripped off his mask, taking a deep breath before flopping down next to you. "I dunno. How long do you want me to stay? May's working a late shift tonight."

"Don't ask me that!" You groaned. If it was up to you, you would say forever although you knew that wasn't an option. You weren't supposed to have a boy in your room without anyone knowing so the two of you were already breaking the rules whenever Peter came over after his patrols, which was most nights. And you further broke the rules by sometimes having unplanned sleepovers, Peter crashing in your bed next to you, and the both of you waking up earlier than normal so he could leave before someone woke you up in the morning. Those were the best nights, because by the morning, his arms would always wind up around you no matter what, holding you close to him. To you, that was the best feeling in the world. Not that you could tell him, anyway.

"Does your mom have to work tomorrow?" He asked, putting his mask down on your bedside table and you shook your head no. "Okay, so I'll only stay a little bit." Which was code for maybe an hour or two. Three of the two of you got carried away, which Peter was silently praying would happen.

"So," You smiled, nudging Peter with your shoulder. "I need your genius to help me with my homework."

"And by "help" you mean, me do it for you?" Peter laughed, already grabbing the paper out of your hand, his protest meaning nothing because he couldn't _not_ help you.

"It's not my fault you give me all the answers." You laughed, handing him your pencil, tousling his hair as he muttered a "yeah, yeah," and his gaze shifted to your Pre-Calc work. "You got any cool stories today?" You asked him softly after the both of you had gotten settled.

"Not really," Peter muttered. "It was really slow today. Couple of would be muggings, a stereotypical getting a cat out of a tree, and getting chased by a pack of wild dogs."

"They chased you?" You smirked, taking your stuff back, because you couldn't have him do it all, as much as you were lazy. "Why not just swing away?"

"I didn't think of that at the moment, Y/N," Peter said a little grumpily because you were teasing him. "They scared me for a couple seconds."

"Did you scream?" You snorted. "Oh, I would've loved to see Spider-Man screaming and running down the street from a couple of dogs!"

"Oh, shut up!" Peter groaned, pushing you slightly with his shoulder, looking over yours and resting his chin there as he looked down at your homework. "That's wrong." He said after a moment, you having circled your answer.

"You shut up." You paused, and after looking it over you erased your work, feeling the smile on Peter's lips from how his face shifted as you redid it.

After you had finished, you put on a movie on your laptop and you and Peter stayed up watching it, chatting comfortably and quietly. You'd had been friends so long, it was amazing you never ran out of a topic to discuss.

You and Peter had started the secret hangouts right after he had started being Spider-Man. You were the first person he told, although it was more like you were the first person to notice how different he was and brought it up with him, and he spilled immediately. Conveniently, May had gotten promoted, and in doing so, had longer hours and alternating shifts. So some days, she didn't come home until ten or so and then went straight to bed, so Peter had asked if he could come over and spend the time with you so he wouldn't be at home alone and then go home later. It had become normal for him to just show up whenever, depending on how long he stayed out as Spider-Man.

He didn't start sleeping over, however, until he had told you May had found out he was the mysterious web-slinging hero. He came over the next day, and talked all night about how May chewed his ear off but then supported him just like you had.

Peter left close to midnight, you having to tell him to leave so he could get some sleep. He'd been out swinging around for hours, then the two of you talked for hours, you knew he had to be tired. Besides, you didn't want May getting worried, because he hadn't texted her saying he was going to stay over this late.

"Don't crash into a building." You said as you parted, Peter pulling on his mask on the other side of the window and you were standing in your room, ready to close it after he left. "And try to avoid any fights. You need sleep. We have school tomorrow."

"I'll try my best." He told you, giving you a mock salute before whooping as he flipped backwards off the side of your apartment building, shooting a web and swinging off into the distance. You sighed and closed your window, turning off your desk lamp and heading to bed.

It wasn't even relatively late when Peter came today. He actually climbed through your window, without saying a word. He noticed you were reading on your bed, engrossed in your book, and took the rare chance to scare you. 

"Guess who." You heard Peter's voice before a hand clamped over your eyes. You cut off your scream when you recognized the voice right away, growling a little as you swatted his hand away. 

"Not funny!" You exclaimed, dropping your book to you lap and getting momentarily confused when you didn't see Peter in front of you. 

"Up here." He told you, directing your attention to above you, and you watched unamused as he tossed his mask on your bed next to you and descended from the ceiling until his upside down face was level with yours, a large grin adorning his features. "That was so funny,"

"I'm never leaving my window open again." You huffed before smiling a little. "You're a little close there, buddy," You pointed out, the boy only being a couple inches from you. A little too close for your comfort, and you didn't want to risk your mind wandering and filling with thoughts you couldn't have. 

"You're no fun," Peter joked, grabbing your book from your hands and dropping down next to you. "What're reading?" He asked and you rolled your eyes. 

" _The Hunger Games_ , if you must know," You turned your body as Peter shifted to sit up against the headboard with you. 

"Didn't you already read this?" He asked as he handed the book back, and you rolled your eyes. 

"So?" You asked, grabbing the bookmark you didn't think you would've needed to use and placing the book down on your right. "That's like asking why do you rewatch movies once you've already seen them."

"Because they're good." Peter answered. 

"Exactly." You smiled at him, meeting his eyes, but your smile didn't last long as you took in his features. 

He wasn't beat up, no, but you could tell he was drained. Peter's smile faded when yours did. His skin was a little paler than normal, and his eyes were bloodshot with deep purple bags underneath. He was exhausted, and you weren't sure how you didn't notice it before. It must've been days before he got this bad. 

"Why aren't you sleeping, Pete?" You asked him immediately, running your thumb across his cheek before sighing. "Something wrong?" 

Peter looked away at your words. "It's nothing." He answered curtly, and a glare from your end had him explaining himself. "I've just been staying out longer looking for something good, and then I have to go home and do my homework, it's nothing bad." He shrugged. "I just haven't been getting as much sleep as I normally do." 

"I thought you had school and being Spider-Man prioritized, Peter," you chastised. "It looks like you haven't slept in days!" 

"I went to sleep last night." He countered and you raised your eyebrows. 

"Oh yeah?" You crossed your arms. "What time?"

"Last...morning?" Peter answered sheepishly, sending you a shy grin. 

"This isn't funny!" You breathed out, a little angrily. "Superpowers or not, you need to sleep. You look terrible!" 

"Why thanks. You look good too." Peter's face fell flat as he spoke dully and you rolled your eyes. 

"And when's the last time you showered?" You asked although it sounded more like an order. "You can't just stop taking care of yourself, Peter," 

"I know that." He shrugged. "I was gonna sleep in tomorrow. Rejuvenate for going out later." 

"No." You stated firmly. Standing up and heading to your dresser, a confused Peter watching you curiously before he saw you toss a gray blob at him. When he caught it, he realized it was one of his old sweatshirts. A pair of blue sweatpants followed. "Go take a shower, then text May. You're sleeping over here tonight." 

"Y/N—" he began to protest, but shut himself up when you locked eyes again. He realized you weren't joking in any manner. "Whatever you say," He got up, and you gave him a small smile, one he returned as he headed to the door off your room that lead to the bathroom. 

"You text May, you know my password. I'm sure she won't say no." He said before disappearing behind the closed door. 

When Peter emerged from the bathroom, he was poorly drying his hair with a towel, his suit hastily folded under his arm, and he saw you back on your bed, _The Hunger Games_ splayed open on your lap. You'd changed into an old shirt and a pair of shorts when he was in the shower, so you were ready to go to bed too. 

"We're good?" Peter asked, dropping the towel in your clothes hamper and placing his suit on your desk, grabbing his mask from your bed and chucking it with the rest before reclaiming his spot next to you. 

"Of course." You said, glancing at him before your eyes settled back on the words in front of you. You always had to force yourself to look away from Peter after he showered, the occasional you saw him when he did. There was just something about his hair being wet, and the smell of shampoo and body wash, that made you want to curl up besides him, bury your face in his chest. 

"What chapter are you on?" Peter asked, leaning over so he could read over your shoulder and you held back a laugh.

"Twenty-three." You answered. "I wanted to finish tonight, but I obviously have something more important to do."

Peter turned his head and frowned at you. "You don't have to put me to sleep, y'know," 

"Oh, but I do." You smiled, going to grab your bookmark again, but Peter's hand stopped you. 

"Wait," He looked at you, and this time, you were confused. "Would you read to me?" He asked softly and hesitantly, and you laughed quietly. 

"Sure," you answered. "But you might be lost." 

"I watched the movies," Peter countered and you scoffed. "Jus' give me a sec to get comfy." You watched as Peter smiled and squirmed to get comfortable, finally deciding on laying his head on your shoulder, turned on his side. "Okay, go." 

"You seriously want me to read you to sleep?" 

"Why not?" He grinned before closing his eyes. "It'll be different." 

"I'll say," you muttered before clearing your throat. Peter laughed a little and you nudged his chest with your elbow as you grinned. 

You began to read. " _It's eerie how little sound he makes, even when the leaves have fallen and it's a challenge to move at all without chasing off the game, I feel certain he's laughing back home._ " You stopped and glanced over at Peter. The second he heard your voice stop, he peered up at you with one eye and you smiled, continuing. " _"Yes," I say patiently. "I will, too. That way we'll both be quieter." Like I was making any noise. So we both strip off our boots and socks and, while there's some improvement, I could swear he's making an effort to snap every branch we encounter._

_Needless to say, although it takes several hours to reach my old camp with Rue, I've shot nothing. If the stream would settle down, fish might be an option, but the current is still too strong. As we stop to rest and drink water, I try to work out a solution. Ideally, I'd dump Peeta now with some simple root-gathering chore and go hunt, but then he'd be left with only a knife to defend himself against Cato's spears and superior strength. So what I'd really like is to—_ " 

You stopped reading the second you thought you heard a soft snore, and surprisingly enough, another one filled the silence. Peter was sleeping already. 

You couldn't blame him, he was extremely tired. If anything, you were happy he fell asleep that quickly. Finishing the chapter, you grabbed your bookmark yet again and put down _The Hunger Games_ on the table underneath the lamp. You had to reach slightly and carefully as to not wake Peter up to turn the light off, plunging the room into darkness. 

You waited a moment before you realized the two of you were still in a sitting up position, and to your dismay, you were starting to get uncomfortable. It took a little work, but you had successfully moved Peter enough for you to lay down properly. 

You were on your back, stretching before you decided to get comfy, when Peter shifted, finding you again. He'd turned back to his side, and he face found the crook of your neck, deciding to call it his pillow without any second thought, and an arm laid across your stomach. 

You groaned a little playfully, reaching up to softly run your hand through the sleeping boys hair before you realized this was how you were going to sleep. You would never dare wake him up, not when he needed as much sleep as he could get. Your other reason for not attempting to move being you wanted Peter's body that close, you enjoyed his extra warmth. 

You closed your eyes, and just as you felt yourself starting to nod off, you heard a soft humming come from Peter. It was only a couple of notes of a song you thought you recognized and your eyes opened slightly, but then you felt Peter's breath tickle your neck as he started singing lightly. 

" _Doo doo doo...tomorrow if I don't wake up dead,_ " You couldn't help yourself from smiling. "This is the road to ruin...and we're starting at the end," a small giggle escaped your lips, and you clamped your hand over your mouth to stop it for turning into anything more. 

Out of all the years you've know Peter, you've never heard him sing in his sleep. Ever. And the boy was one hundred percent asleep at the moment. Singing Fall Out Boy. It was by far the cutest thing you've witnessed him do, even if he isn't conscious of it, to date. 

You let yourself laugh once more before you closed your eyes again. Peter had gone silent, so you figured it was probably a one time thing. You were seconds away from sleeping again when the same thing happened. You opened one of your eyes at the sound of his voice. This time, it was Smash Mouth. 

" _Only shooting staars break the mooold..._ " This time, the words were more mumbled, but you could understand them nonetheless. 

"Peter, you're crazy," you muttered under your breath, but froze when you heard your name. 

"Y/N?" You thought he had woken up, and you went to go sit up so you could turn towards him, but his arm had tightened around your waist, keeping you in place. You frowned and waited. It was silence before you heard him sing again, the words clear as day, you slightly feeling his lips curve up. " _I think I love you..._ " he sang, courtesy of The Partridge Family, then he chuckled softly, turning his face so that his face was pressed against you even more and he hummed the next line before going silent again.

You felt your heart start to pound in your chest before you shook your head, closing your eyes. Peter was dreaming. You knew how crazy dreams could get. It had to be just a coincidence he said your name before singing that song. That _exact_ song. 

"He's sleeping." You reminded yourself, taking a deep breath before you heard Peter's soft snores start back up again. You waited a couple of minutes, although they felt like hours, but Peter didn't sing again. You weren't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, because now you were having trouble getting to sleep. The words that most likely meant nothing, Peter's voice, were reverberating in your brain. 

But eventually, you fell asleep too.

You pressed your eyes tightly together as you felt the sun beaming through your curtains and hitting your face. You had turned in the middle of the night, so you were sleeping on your side. Groaning, you stretched a little even though you didn't want to wake up yet. You hadn't felt Peter's arm around you because it's been there all night. 

You moved to your back, yawning, and then you flipped to your opposite side, and squinted as you started the process of opening your eyes. At first, you saw a blurry lump of gray mixed with tan skin and you opened your eyes even more, blinking to focus, and they shot open when you realized it was Peter, remembered that he slept over. 

Panicking a little, you sat up, cringing when you'd moved Peter's arms, which made the boy groan a little. You paused, not sure if you should wake him up or not yet, and you looked at the clock. It was a ten minutes before nine in the morning. You sighed gratefully your mom didn't check in on you when she left for work an hour ago. She likes Peter, having known him as long as you did, and trusts him, but she definitely would've flipped out, waking the both of you up, if she saw him there without her knowing. 

You glanced over at Peter when you saw him shift, grabbing the pillow you were using and tucking it under his head, and you smiled down at him before slowing getting out of bed, and heading to the kitchen to get a glass of water. 

After a moment of just standing in the empty kitchen, gulping down your water, you decided to start breakfast. Peter was always starving when he woke up. It was one of the few things you weren't sure of if he was like that before or after the spider bite. The boy always seemed to eat you and your mom out of house and home whenever he was over. 

"I thought I smelled pancakes," You heard Peter's voice, low and groggy as he stumbled into the kitchen. You turned your head and saw him smile sleepily before leaning up against the refrigerator. 

"Good morning," you greeted in a soft voice. "These are almost done if you wanna grab the syrup." You told him, motioning to the syrup on the fridge as you grabbed plates from the cabinet above you, putting them down in time to flip the two pancakes you had cooking. Peter grabbed utensils, as well as two cups and the orange juice out of the fridge, and by the time he was done setting up, you flipped the two now done pancakes onto the plate with the rest of the pile. Peter was standing next to you, ready to grab his serving. 

"How many do I get?" He asked, almost impatiently. 

"Ah, I get first dibs," you pushed his hand away, grabbing three off the pile and turning around to sit at the small kitchen table. You laughed as you saw Peter grab four and turn to meet you. You started to reach for the butter on the table, but stopped when you heard Peter quietly humming Alone Together under his breath, and you looked up at him, wild look in your eyes as memories of last night flooded your brain. 

"Are you okay?" Peter asked when he saw you were staring at him and he sat down across from you. "What, do I have drool on my face or something?" He asked, wiping his hand across his chin, and that's when you shook your head.

"No." You answered. "It's just, you were singing that in your sleep last night." You chuckled a little, and you noticed Peter's eyes widen a tiny bit, but not too much. 

"I guess that makes sense. It was stuck in my head all day." He smiled, taking a deep breath. 

"Yeah. Was All Star in there too?" You asked, continuing your action you had halted. 

"How'd you know?" He asked before realization made it's way onto his face. "Oh, did I sing it?" You nodded. You saw out of the corner of your eye Peter cut into his food. "Did I- did I sing anything else?" He asked tentatively. 

"Um," You weren't sure how much you wanted to tell him, partially afraid of what he might say, but your curiosity was also too strong. "I Think I Love You." You looked up at the boy when you heard him cough, almost choking on his food. You looked at him curiously, and when he had gulped down some O.J., you spoke again. "It was really weird, because you had said my name right before." You weren't sure exactly how much you would regret adding that tidbit of information. 

"Oh. I-I did?" Peter asked, and he avoided your eyes, staring down at his food. You couldn't mistake the color you saw his ears flush, and although he was looking down, you could only guess his nose and cheeks were the same color. That's always been the case whenever the boy blushed. "That's funny." 

"...yeah." You agreed, trying to ignore your heart sinking. 

"I don't really remember what I was dreaming about, so I wouldn't worry about it." Peter then added quickly. 

"What would I have to worry about?" You asked. You could tell he was trying to end the conversation. 

"Right. Nothing." 

"Right." You nodded your head, Peter looking up and sending you a tight lipped smile before looking away again. 

You regretted bringing it up, because all it did was make things awkward between the two of you. Peter was fidgeting in his seat, shifting every couple of seconds, and neither of you saying a word to each other as you ate. 

But at the same time, you knew Peter was lying. You knew Peter better than anyone, you like to think, and he was definitely lying. You really didn't want to push things any further, but you also really didn't want to not know the truth. 

"Do you?" You asked, interrupting the tension in the room. 

"Do I what?" Peter asked. 

"You saying my name, you know you did. You remember your dream." You accused. "Do you? L-love me?" It just seemed too close together, too smooth to not be connected. You had to know. 

"Uh," Peter gulped, slowly dropping his fork. "Depends on what you mean by love." He said, and you can tell he was trying hard not to stammer over his words. "I-I mean, you're my best friend, and there's different types of love. Of course I love you like that, but if you're talking about the _other_ kind of love—" 

"Peter." You closed your eyes, and when you opened them, Peter's brown ones had met yours instantly, and he sighed. 

"Yeah." He answered, seemingly deflating. "Yeah. I do. I-I love you." 

"Holy Hera," you gasped, your breath getting caught in your throat as you felt your heart filling again, your head overwhelmed with happiness. It didn't last long when you noticed Peter shrinking down into his seat. He wasn't looking at you, and he thought your reaction was bad. "Peter!" You got his attention, his head suddenly looking back up and you and your growing smile from across the small table. "Peter, I love you too," you breathed out, relieved that you could finally say the words you've been keeping in for almost a year. 

"What?" You heard him almost squeak, and you let out a laugh of disbelief. 

"I really do." You reassured him. 

"No way..." Peter whispered, relief flooding his emotions. "You're not getting me back for scaring you yesterday, are you?" He then narrowed his eyes at you, and you smiled and laughed, shaking your head. "Because if you are, that is _so_ not cool." 

"No, Peter," you glanced down at your food. "I've loved you for a while now. You've just always been my best friend, and I never wanted to lose you," 

"I never wanted to lose you either!" He exclaimed, but then calmed himself down. "I-I can't believe I outed myself without even knowing." 

"What even was your dream about?" You asked, feeling your face start toe heat up now that you knew how Peter felt, and he knew how you did. 

"Oh, it was really stupid." Peter muttered, a small smile on his face as he took another bite. "It was kinda like musical charades? I don't know what to call it. It was the group of us, me, you, Ned, MJ, some other people, and we had to pull a slip of paper that would say something like "a song that describes how you feel about someone" for one instance," he glanced up at you. "Or "a song that has the word gray" And then we'd have a few seconds to think of one and sing it to get the points." 

"That honestly sounds really fun." You chuckled. "I really want to play that now," 

"You would've won in my dream," Peter admitted, smiling. "If I hadn't gone before you." 

"Nice to know I had the same reaction as real life." 

It had felt like a weight had been lifted off of your shoulders, now that you had told Peter the only secret you had been keeping from him. The air was light, and the tension was gone. The two of you ate breakfast in a comfortable silence, staring at each other from across the table and then quickly looking away like the children you were, randomly bursting out in laughter. 

Neither of you had spoke even when the both of you had finished eating, and you cleaned up breakfast together in silence. It's not that neither one of you didn't know what to say, both you and Peter had wanted to say a thousand things, but it seemed like the two of you were living in an extended moment, and neither one of you didn't want to ruin it. 

The two of you were doing the dishes, you washing while Peter was drying and putting them away, when one of you decided to speak. Only because it was such a surprise. 

"Hey," Peter laughed, hitting you with his small dishrag. "Don't fling water at me!" 

"What? I didn't!" You turned your head to face him, and you were sure you didn't, but the water droplets dripping down his face said otherwise. "Okay, I didn't mean too." You paused before you waved the last plate in his direction, spraying him with water. "That time I did." You giggled and Peter frowned playfully before grabbing the plate from you and mocking you, your hands coming up to shield your face. 

"You're mean. Is this really what I get for admitting I loved you?" Peter rolled his eyes, drying the last plate and you turned off the kitchen faucet. 

"Loved? You're over me already?" You teased, faking a pout and crossing your arms. 

"You're over dramatic, Y/N," Peter dropped the cloth, turning to face you, wiping water off of his face. 

"Then what were you expecting to get, huh?" You dried your face before the water dropped into your eyes with a large smile. You weren't expecting Peter to shoot forward, connecting his lips to yours, and you pulled back out of shock, giggling a little. 

"Oh damn," a panicked look filled his eyes. "I should've asked, sorry," 

"You're such a Web-Head," you shook your head before grabbing his face, bringing it back to yours. You were sure earlier there wasn't ever a better feeling than waking up next to Peter, but you were glad you were proven wrong in the best way possible. 

"Woah," Peter breathed, separating two of you, and a dumb grin appearing on his face. "That was nice." 

"I waited too long to do that," You smiled before tossing the rag he put down at his chest. "Now I think you should clean up the syrup mess you made." 

"We just kissed, and that's the first thing you say after?" Peter laughed with disbelief lacing his voice. 

"What? Maybe you shouldn't make me worried. So _this_ is payback." You grinned, but started to laugh when Peter wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. 

"You're mean." He said, his voice slightly muffled from your shoulder. 

"You need to prioritize." You tell him, squeezing the boy back. "Just because we're together now doesn't mean anything changes." 

"We're together?" Was all Peter got out of that. 

"Once you take a break from everything." You told him, poking his shoulder. "Get some more sleep." 

"We just slept like ten hours. I think that's enough."

"Oof, that's never enough." You laughed. 

"I'll figure that out. But for now," He started softly. "I just want to be with you." 

"You're such a sap." You said as Peter pressed a kiss to your cheek. 

"A sap you love." He wiggled his eyebrows, causing you to laugh. 

"Don't give me reasons to take what I said back." You warned him although you didn't mean it at all. Then you tightened your arms around him, sighing contently and closing your eyes. You hugging in the kitchen wasn't too much of a difference; but the evil grin on your face and you singing was. 

" _I was sleeping and right in the middle of a good dream, like all at once I wake up from something that keeps knocking at my brain_ ," 

"Oh god, Y/N, stop." Peter pulled back but you kept singing. 

" _Before I go insane I hold my pillow to my head and spring up in my bed screaming out the words I dread._ " Peter held his hands to his face, groaning, but failing to conceal his smile. " _I think I love you!_ " 

"This is is never going away, is it?" 

"Nope."


	23. Forever Indebted And Filled With Gramercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wanted to get all your work done as fast as you could, get out of school as fast as you could so you could get home, eat something, and head out to try and find something to grasp onto, something that could point you in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst is something we all love to hate, isn't it?

The autumn air was brisk and refreshing, the wind blowing softly and hitting your face as you perched on the corner of a nightclub in lower Manhattan. You knew you probably should've started home a while ago, because you knew it would take you a while to get to Queens via rooftop, but you had a strong feeling you would get something good tonight. You just had to stay there and watch the back entrance.

You ran your fingers through the fake hair attached to your mask and let out an impatient breath. You'd been waiting for three hours now. You were sure your guy had walked in. You had traced her here. Through all the deals you've busted, you've slowly gathered intel. One of the top women in the Drake crime chain was supposed to making a deal tonight. She was supposed to be there. You just had to catch her on her way out. Which shouldn't be too long.

The sun was gone, and the music was blaring. There wasn't much room to hide, the neon signs flashing five different colors, and you only had a small space to monitor while staying hidden. The surrounding buildings would be no help for cover, although they would've been better vantage points of the back door.

Your breathing was barely audible as you were listening and watching intently, trying to tune out the noisy bustling of the people outside, and the cars driving, and the thumping of the bass inside. You didn't have anything but your own two eyes to focus on the dark alley behind the club. You worked old-fashioned. Unlike the _other_ neighborhood hero. Although, you didn't have much of a choice.

You had nothing against the work Spider-Man did, your annoyance towards him was because of his incessant want to team up.

No matter how many times you told him, you worked alone. You never needed, nor do you want, a sidekick. Or to be a sidekick. You were just fine by yourself. That's how you started, that's how you've been, that's what you wanted. To work alone.

"...you said thirty men?" You were ripped out of your sudden thoughts of Spider-Man when you saw a woman with long auburn hair wearing a dark charcoal dress emerge from the back door, two men in suits following her, before you heard her voice.

"Yes ma'am," one of the men answered. "That should be enough for you to get the deal done, right?"

"If that pesky girl shows up again, she'll be outnumbered for sure." The woman sneered and you smirked. Thirty men seemed like a lot, but you've taken out bigger crowds before.

Creeping closer to the edge, you were preparing to drop down. You had no idea who the men were, they didn't look familiar to you, but you were trying to take down one branch at a time. They'll get their turn.

"For a girl working alone, she seems to always put a wrench in your plans." Your eyebrows furrowed down. You were slightly confused. Was she buying extra men _because_ of you?

"She does nothing to our plans except delay them. Forces us to relocate." The woman said sternly, crossing her arms. "This is only for precaution. She shouldn't know where we'll be this time, we haven't scheduled a meet until after the deal's done. Your boss will still be there to follow through?"

"We'll follow through if you follow through, Guerra." The second man spoke up, and you were poised to drop. Just waiting for the right moment. Things seemed to be different. These men seemed to be involved sooner than you thought they would be. You just needed to hear where and when.

"Oo, who're they?" Spider-Man's voice, happy and excited, startled you, and you nearly fell off, having lost your balance for a moment. "Woah! You good?" He reached for your arm to grab it in case you needed help, but you steadied yourself and pulled it back before he could touch you.

You scowled at the irritatingly familiar mask, not realizing that Peter was giving you a smile underneath it. "Leave me alone. I'm in the middle of something important." You growled to him under your breath.

"What are we doing?" He asked hopefully, perching next to you, an offended "Hey!" being the next word out of his mouth as you used your arm to push him back. Your eyes scanned the dark alley; the men were leaving. You were missing your window.

" _We're_ not doing anything. Go home. I'm serious." You gritted through your teeth, trying to listen to see what Guerra was saying into her phone since you missed the rest of the conversation.

"Who's that lady?" Spider-Man asked quietly, and you glanced over quickly when you saw him lean forward, the whites of his masks eyes squinting. "Woah! She's really dangerous! Did you know she has a warrant for her arrest in three states? Grand theft auto, grand larceny—"

"Shut up." You warned him.

"Well, that's rude."

"Oh my god!" You stood up, pushing him further onto the roof, but not far enough that he would be exposed to the light. "I lost her!" You looked once more, but Guerra had disappeared. "God dammit!"

"Woah, it's okay! We can go track her down!"

"No!" You almost shouted before groaning.

"H-hey, I'm sorry. I just saw you alone, and thought you might have wanted some company." He admitted. His voice was soft and sorry, and after taking another minute, you took a deep breath, running your hands down your face being careful not to snag your mask, and then stood up and turned to him.

"Look," You began. "I've been trying to pin this guy down for months now, and I missed my only lead." You bit back the "because of you" part. As angry as you were, you tried hard to keep your cool.

Peter took a deep breath. He could tell you were mad at him, he hadn't realized you were staking someone out, and when he did, he could've handled the situation better.

"I'm sorry," Spider-Man kicked the floor of the roof. "I just thought maybe you could've used my help this time?"

"Not this time." You muttered softly. Guerra or those men were nowhere you could see. You'd lost them.

"Well, you could use help tracking that lady down, right?" He offered hopefully, Peter was hopeful, and you crossed your arms.

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to be part of a crime-fighting duo?" You narrowed your eyes at Spider-Man's mask, where you expected his eyes would be. "I work fine alone."

"But you just said you lost your lead." He stepped closer and you raised your chin defensively, silently telling him not to come any closer. "I mean, I kinda have a suit lady— an A.I. in my suit? She saw her, what was her name? Dawn Guerra! I can help you! I'm sure Karen— that's my suit lady's name by the way— can help us find out where she is!"

"No _us_." You stated firmly, turning away. "I'll find her myself." You started to walk away, making it to the next roof over before Spider-Man caught up with you again. Peter knew he was fast, but you still moved silently and swiftly for someone moving on foot.

"Where are you going?" He called after you, and you rolled your eyes.

"Somewhere you aren't."

Peter followed you for another minute, asking once more if you wanted company, and once more, you told him no. Although he was a little discouraged, he took a deep breath and decided to try again another day.

"You should smile more," You heard Spider-Man say as he appeared in front of you, swinging past, almost completely blurred. As you were running, you saw him spin in mid-air, looking at you. "You'll look prettier!" He yelled, making you falter for a split second, but not enough to be noticeable, before swinging away. He'd never complimented you before, but that doesn't matter. What mattered was that you got home before you got caught out of bed so late.

"Y/N?" You looked up from where your head was on your desk when your teacher had called your name. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?"

"No. I'm fine." You answered quickly with a small smile. "Rough night." Your teacher nodded before turning her attention back to the class, finishing roll call, and you let out a loud breath. You were glad she didn't ask what had happened, because you couldn't tell her you worked as an illegally under the law, not a hero per se, but doing the cops job for them most nights, and that you had gotten back really late.

When you got back home, you remembered about homework you told yourself you would finish later. Of course it was due today, so you stood up to finish it, going to bed around three in the morning and waking up at six. You were mentally and physically exhausted.

"Betty?" You listened partially listened as the teacher rambled off names.

"Present."

"Jason?"

"Here."

"Peter?"

"H-here." You glanced up as the class started snickering for no real reason. "Here. I'm here." You glanced back; it was typical of Peter Parker to sit near the back. He was always on his laptop, hiding behind it, and you assumed he wasn't using it only for class.

"Flash?" You still couldn't believe he actually got the teachers to call him that.

You stopped listening and instead focused on the pages of the workbook that were written up on the board under the agenda for today's class. You wanted to go back out tonight, and you didn't want a repeat of last night. You were so close taking out the head, and you needed that trade information. The NYPD won't be anywhere close to where you are for at least a month, and who knows how many weapons they could ship out, drugs they could sell, within that timeframe?

You wanted to get all your work done as fast as you could, get out of school as fast as you could so you could get home, eat something, and head out to try and find something to grasp onto, something that could point you in the right direction.

Peter didn't know who you were, just as you didn't know about him. The boy was just minding his own business when out of the corner of his eye he saw a girl with her pen moving diligently over her paper. Actually working, unlike most of the class, and that intrigued him. The girl just happened to be you.

Peter wondered why you were working so hard. Whether it was because you were really passionate about learning, or if you waiting for something. He knew he usually worked quickly when he was excited to leave the school, go straight to Delmar's and change to go on patrol.

He was pulled back to reality harshly as he stretched, his arm giving him a sharp pain where he slammed into the corner of a skyscraper last night. He was swinging home, and it was fairly late. He miscalculated how close he would be, and he wasn't quick enough to stop himself from coming into contact and his side hit the building at a little under 40 miles per hour. There was a nice bruise, he'd noticed when he got home before he went to bed, and he knew he was going to be sore for a while.

Shutting his laptop, he started working like the rest of the class was. Although, he couldn't help the occasional glance in your direction. There was something about you he didn't quite understand. He didn't really know why he thought he should pay attention to you. To him, it was like there was something he knew you could tell him, a secret for some reason, he could find out if he didn't look away.

You weren't having much luck figuring out where the deal would be taking place. You regretted not dropping down when you had the chance. Sure, it might've resulted in a fight, and you know Guerra wouldn't have given you the information, but one of the men might have.

But on the bright side, you found a nice jewelry store robbery.

It was a small place, squished in between two modernized buildings. You could tell it was family run, old, eighty years at least. The wood architecture and glass windows and door that looked beautiful and antique to you, the things that told you just how old the place was, was probably what attracted the robbers.

The chances of having any heavy security was close to zero. Cameras most likely being the only surveillance, and there probably wasn't many. Easy to shoot out. And by the looks of it, that's exactly what happened.

You had to strategize before you just jumped in there. Your suit wasn't very bulletproof, you were a teenage girl and didn't know where to get Kevlar. Sure you were a little stronger and faster than an average person, but you healed and got hurt the same.

You spotted three men, and figured this would be a piece of cake. Especially because no one was watching the entrance.

You said nothing as you crept up behind the guy in the back, kicking his knee in and then slamming his head into the ground. His groans brought the attention of his buddies to you and you gave them a teasing smile and wave before you rolled away from the gunfire and behind an empty table, flipping it so you would be shielded.

Your plan was to kick the table to bowl them over, taking it from there, but your plans were intercepted.

"Ugh, it's Spider-Man!" You heard one of the men shout to the other and you grumbled, annoyed, under your breath.

You heard punches landing, and gunfire before it was cut short, most likely from Spider-Man yanking the weapon away. You continued your planned action, balancing back on your hands while you kicked the table with both feet forward. As you jumped up, you saw Spider-Man had dodged the flying furniture, sticking to the ceiling and his head turned to you.

"Hey, same team here!" He called to you before shooting a web to one of the guys, sticking him to the ceiling and you punched the last one in the face as he dropped down.

"I had that completely under control." You gritted. "You of all people should've known how easy that was!"

"I thought you were hurt!" He countered. The two of you heard the police sirens. Sure, New York City loved Spider-Man, he was everywhere and helped everyone. But you tended to work covertly. The police find you, you'll be brought in, maybe even confused for one of the people involved in the robbery. "You were hiding behind a table, how was I supposed to know?" Spider-Man asked as you ran out, running after you as you turned into the nearest alley, beginning to scale the wall.

"Right, hurt. Again, you've ruined my fights how many times now? You should know I don't just get hurt." You called down to him once you reached the top, wishing you didn't stare down at the miniature Spider-Man and just ran because he shot a web to the A/C unit next to you and zipped up.

"I wouldn't call them ruined if the bad guys got caught," He tried to grab your hand to stop you from walking away but you yanked it out of his grasp. "Hey, come on, can we just talk?"

"Look man, I really don't want to talk with you." You sighed. "Besides, I need to get out of here, because unlike you, I don't have a fan base to vouch for me."

"I'll vouch for you." Peter followed as you jumped the small distance between roofs, moving fast, but low so you wouldn't be spotted by the police cars now parking in front of the small store, two more coming down the street. "But you're not gonna get caught. I'll make sure you don't."

"Can you stop talking so I can get away from here?" You turned your head to quickly look at him. You didn't want want to acknowledge the actual sentiment in his words.

"There's someone up there!" You suddenly heard a cop say, and you groaned.

"Do you think one of them got away?"

"That's not usually Spider-Man's MO."

"Hold on." It took you a second to register that it was Spider-Man's voice that was that quiet and low, it barely sounding like him, and he didn't give you any time to fight him before he held you tightly with one arm around your waist and you felt your feet leave the ground.

Your first instinct wasn't to scream but to punch him, but you realized that you'd rather not fall to your death when you noticed he was crossing the street. You didn't miss the way he cut off a groan of pain, however, like he didn't want you to hear it.

Which was true, Peter didn't want you to hear it. He made the mistake of swinging and holding up both his weight and yours with his bad arm, but he couldn't turn back now. He wanted to get you to safety.

"Put me down now." You commanded, your voice stern. You'd gotten a good block and a half away, and you figured if the police saw Spider-Man, they wouldn't question who was on the roof.

"But—"

"Now!"

Peter wasn't too surprised about the authority in your voice, although the thought of you maybe killing him, that and the pain in his shoulder growing by the second, is what made him stumble down onto the nearest roof, making sure you were standing before collapsing, sitting down.

"Are you out of your mind!" You started, breathless, your stomach just beginning to settle from that roller coaster feeling. "You—" You cut yourself off when you turned around and saw Spider-Man on the ground, holding his right arm with his left. "Are you okay?" You then asked partly curious, taking a step towards him for the first time.

"What? Me? Yeah, I'm fine." He said quickly with a dismissive wave of his hand, but you could immediately tell he was lying.

"Why go out if you're hurt?" You questioned, but it was more like a demand for an answer. Before you even though, you dropped to your knees, pulling his hand away.

Peter inhaled sharply, partially because of pain, but mostly because this was the closest you've ever been to him and he'd never noticed how pretty your eyes were before. Even if they were narrowed as you studied his arm.

"I-I uh- I thought I was feeling better?" He said, a weak excuse.

"Your shoulder is dislocated." You huffed out, your hand feeling over his suit just to make sure your eye wasn't wrong. There was no way you were going to ask him to take it off.

"What? I didn't think it was that bad!" You watched as Spider-Man's eyes widened and he turned his head, trying to see your hand on his shoulder but stopped.

"You have to have some pain tolerance," you muttered under your breath before sighing. "Lay down." You ordered.

"Wait. What?" Spider-Man asked, confused.

"Lay down on your back. Come on, I need you to, unless you don't want me to pop it back in. I'm not exactly a healthcare professional here. That's the easiest way."

Peter figured it would be better not to comment on you actually helping him, or what motivated you to do so, and instead, he followed your command, watching as you shifted away a little so he could lay down on his back. He heard Karen's voice in his ears, telling him that you were right, and that he must've dislocated it while swinging.

"You trust me?" You asked Spider-Man and you locked eyes.

"Yeah," Spider-Man nodded his head, taking a deep breath and you chuckled, practically feeling his nervousness as you grabbed his wrist, and slowly, you moved his arm so that it was laying straight horizontally.

You looked at him for a second, grinning, before you stationed your foot in front of you, pushing it down on the roof for leverage. "I'm gonna start pulling. Ready?"

"I can do this." He told you, and himself, and stopped himself from making a noise when you steadily started to pull his arm. After a minute, the both of you heard a clunking sound, and you knew that meant it was back in place. Spider-Man was breathing a little heavily as you carefully let go of his arm, sitting down on the roof, and he sat up. "Thanks." He said to you after a minute of silence.

"Whatever," you told him. "We're even now."

"Oh." You could hear the disappointment in his voice. "Yeah."

To keep things from getting awkward, you stood up and started to walk away. "See you around, yeah?" You said, stepping up onto the ledge along the edge.

"Wait," Spider-Man started to stand up. "You're just gonna leave me here?"

"Yup." You answered, giving him a mock salute before jumping down. You could feel Spider-Man's eyes on you, he most likely went to the edge, scared you had fallen, but you landed on a beam that connected the two buildings to each other, and used it to get across because the jump off the roof was too far.

"But I need to talk to you!" You heard him call to you, but you didn't turn back.

Peter was actively searching for you now.

Before, even though it's happened multiple times, he would accidentally run into you. He would see a fight, or hear about it from Karen, and ever since his first run in, he would have Karen search the news and social media to see if anyone was posting about a new superhero as he swung in.

But now, he had information you wanted. Needed. He knew where Guerra was going to be to make the exchange for the Drakes. He knew the time, the date, and who was going to be there. He just needed to find you. So he could tell you.

It had been a couple of days since he last saw you, that evening on the roof. He almost caught up with you the day he felt good enough to go out, but you had done a quick job of the group mugging in Central Park, and you were gone before he got there.

He wasn't too sure if you even went out on all the next day, there wasn't anything big in the news, and Karen told him no one had posted anything about you. So he tried again the next day, it now only being one day before the deal, and Peter was getting worried he wouldn't find you.

He stopped his route and changed direction when Karen brought to his attention, a building smoking in the distance. It was on fire.

Groaning, because he couldn't just ignore it, he stopped his search for you as Karen fed him the quickest route to get there. Nearing the burning building, he noticed it was an apartment complex, and while there were people clamoring to get out, his suit highlighted the two bodies still in there.

One figure stood out to him, one that looked like it was running into the fire instead of out, and Peter had a feeling it was you.

You wished you had something to cover your mouth as you avoided a falling beam in the burning apartment. There were flames all around you, and the smoke was blurring your vision. You had been in there for a good ten minutes now, but there were still people stuck and you needed to get them out.

"Help!" You a woman scream, but you could hear her voice was weak and rough from screaming. "Somebody help me!"

"I'm coming!" You shouted back, trying to stifle the coughs you felt forming in your chest. You had to break down the door to get into the apartment, and by the amount of flames in there, it looked like you found where the fire had started.

Using your arm to shield your face the best you could, you ran through, dodging the flames and calling back to the lady, trying to figure out where she was. But you could feel it getting hard for you to breathe.

You finally spotted the woman, on the ground in a hallway off of the front room, and you went to go for her, but had to jump back when the ceiling collapsed, a sofa from the upstairs apartment falling down, and the woman screamed.

"Hold on!" You tried to shout, but you started coughing. You stood up and tried to find a way around the flames, and fear settled in your gut. You couldn't find a way around.

You kept trying, but you were losing hope. You didn't want to leave without that woman getting out with you. Turning around, you saw the way out blocked too, and you tried to stop yourself from panicking.

You were going to react rashly, try and jump over the flames and grab the woman, hoping one of the rooms off the hallway wasn't engulfed and they could escape through a window there, but you heard the sound of a window breaking in the distance.

"Spider-Man?" You yelled out when you saw a web appear on the wall next to you, and before you could say anything, he was right there next to you. "Hey!" For once, you were happy he was there. "There a woman, through there! I-I can't get to her!"

"I'll go back for her." You heard him say, and the smoke was making it hard for you to process what he said until after he picked you up, holding you tight with enough strength that you couldn't fight him. He was too strong. "Hey! Put me down!" You tried to pry your body away but he said nothing and you got nowhere. "She's going to die if we don't help her!"

"You're going to die if I don't get you out of here!" You heard him argue, and you saw the window he must've broke. You kept trying to fight him, get out of his grip as he pulled the both of you through the window and swung you to the ground. "I'm sorry." He whispered to you as he placed you on the ground, a little ways away from the crowd that had formed.

"Wait!" You called to him, going to stand up, but Spider-Man had already swung back to the building, entering the same apartment you were just in.

You watched from the ground as the building groaned and shifted. The fire department was just now arriving on scene, and you tried to hide in the shadows across the street. You couldn't leave just yet.

The crowd gasped and screamed when the complex folded in on itself, and you almost ran forward. People saw him go in, but no one had seen Spider-Man come back out.

You were just about to rush back in when you saw a flash of red and blue swing through the air, holding the woman from the apartment in his arms. You would be lying if you didn't say you let out a breath of relief. You've never hated him, you wouldn't wish for him to die. He sounded your age, he had an entire life ahead of him.

But once you saw him land, and the people surround him and the woman he saved, you felt anger rise in your gut. Spider-Man looked around, looking for you no doubt, and he found you, the two of you locking eyes from across the street, but then you turned around and shrouded yourself in the dark.

You climbed and you ran. You knew it was probably childish, but you weren't sure what was going to come out of your mouth if you saw him at the moment.

"Wait!" It wasn't even five minutes before you heard his voice. He'd caught up, of course he did. "Hey wait!"

You weren't exactly sure what possessed you to stop running, but you did, turning around and instead storming towards Spider-Man, who had landed on the other side of the roof.

"You didn't wait when I told you to earlier!" You shouted to him and he stopped walking, the whites of his mask widening to their full extent. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was _saving you_!" He answered, his tone confused.

" _I_ wasn't the one who needed saving! You could've gone back for _me_ or better yet, we could've worked _together_ like you've been trying to go for the past year!" You said angrily, stopping a foot away from him.

"Oh, so _now_ you want to start working together?" The sudden anger from him was a surprise.

"I—"

"I was just doing what I had to do!"

"I was saving her!"

" _I_ saved her!" Spider-Man countered. "I saved _you_!"

You had nothing to say. You didn't know what to say. Your emotions were a giant mess. Anger, gratitude, fear, all mixed together and confusing you.

"Would you have rather me not help the both of you at all? To have left you to die in there? Because you wouldn't have made it out alive!"

"You know want?" You asked softly, taking a step back. "I don't want to deal with this right now. I don't want to deal with you."

"No, no, wait, I didn't mean it like that," Spider-Man started, his tone softening but you shook your head.

"What I want, is for you to stop trying to find me. I want you to get it in your head right here, right now, that I don't want your help anymore. I don't _need_ your help anymore." You gulped hardly, it feeling like something was stuck in your throat. The thought flashed through your head that you might have to go to the hospital, but how would you explain any smoke damage in your lungs? Especially to your parents.

"You... you don't mean that," Spider-Man said softly.

"I never want to see you again." You said bitterly, looking at him one last time before you turned around and started walking away.

The quiet was like no other. Obviously it wasn't, the city still very much awake, but between you and Spider-Man, it seemed like the both of you had crossed a line, and you weren't sure if you would ever go back.

"Sullivan's Boat and Auto Repair." Spider-Man spoke softly and you froze.

"What?" You asked, but you didn't turn around.

"Sullivan's Boat and Auto Repair. Tomorrow at three. That's where Guerra is making the deal. The pier behind the factory." He went silent for a second. "Be careful."

Your let out a breath you didn't know you were holding in, and you spun around.

Spider-Man was gone.

It was two forty-five.

When the final bell rang, Peter followed his normal routine. He found Ned and said a quick goodbye, confirming their plans to have a movie night over the weekend, and then he started on his walk to Delmar's Deli-Grocery.

As always, he ordered a number five, with extra pickles of course. Murph purred happily when he gave him a scratch in between his ears.

Today, he started eating the minute he left. He wasn't too sure where he was going, just walking in a direction that felt familiar. Soon enough, he got to the red fence that he usually went through that led to the alley he usually changed in.

Peter hesitated, not sure if he wanted to go out as Spider-Man today. After a minute of deliberation, he finished his sandwich and walked through. When he was done, he webbed his book bag to the wall, blinking a couple of times to calibrate his mask.

"Hello Peter." He heard Karen's voice once all his systems were up and ready to go.

"Hey, what's up, Karen?" He asked, launching himself up into the air.

"The opposite of down." the A.I. replied and Peter was at a loss for words for a moment. He mentally made a note to try and see if he can do something about her sense of humor. He was hoping that was a joke. "The Guerra-Mancha deal is supposed to happen in eight minutes, Peter. If we leave now, we should make it in time."

Peter frowned. "I'm not going." He told her, gaining speed as he swung through the air.

"Don't you think... I actually don't know her name, but don't you think she will need help?"

"She made it very clear she doesn't want me to help, if you don't remember." Peter said, a sad tone in his voice, but he shook it away, forcing himself to feel mad.

"I remember. I recorded the conversation, if you want to rewatch?" Peter almost swung into another building when he saw your face fill the corner of the screen.

"No!" He almost shouted. "No, it's fine. I don't want to watch it." He told his suit quickly, and Karen swiped away the video. He disabled the Baby-Monitor protocol, but couldn't find a way to stop recording everything he saw. Most of the time, it came in handy. For bad guys and such.

"She might not be able to handle it by herself though, Peter, don't you think—"

"I said no." Peter stopped, landing on the top of a nearby electrical tower, and Karen stopped asking. "It's her fault if she went by herself." But the second he said those words, he felt bad.

Peter took a moment to just breathe before he jumped off, trying his best to forget you.

But he couldn't.

Around four-thirty, his thoughts drifted back to the deal, back to you. And regret hit him in the face like it was a brick.

Peter wished he hadn't gotten angry with you. He wished he hadn't made you angry. He knew you never wanted to talk to him before, and you definitely wouldn't want to talk to him now. He was afraid you went in there, guns ablaze, hot headed with no regard for your safety at all; just your goal in mind.

"Karen?" Peter asked softly, his legs were hanging over the fire escape he was sitting on, and he was kicking them out into the air.

"Yes Peter?" She asked, waiting for him to speak.

"Do you think," He stopped and groaned a little. "Do you think we can find her? Ugh, I need to find out her name, or call her something other than _her_ , I mean, never mind it doesn't matter right now. Do you think she went to the meet alone?"

"Given her past tendencies, I would say there was an eighty-seven chance she went."

"Eighty-seven?"

"You also have to factor in her emotions, from what I could tell, consisted of anger—"

"I-I really don't need to know that." Peter interrupted. "Just, what...what was the percentage?"

"Ninety-eight." Peter inhaled sharply. "Of course she is human, and you know there is a chance she could've chosen not to go,"

"Not this, she wouldn't have missed this." Peter shook his head, standing up. "She's been trying to take these guys down for months."

"Are you going to try and find her?" Karen asked as Peter started to swing away. He said nothing. "I'll set the best route."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

When you woke up, pain was the first thing you felt.

All over your body, it hurt. Especially your head. You blinked a couple of times, trying to remember where you were. The room was pretty dark, and it wasn't until you looked down and saw your hands tied to a chair, that you realized things went downhill.

"Ah, fu—" you jumped when you heard a gunshot, it sounded close, and then absolute silence. So much silence, it was deafening. Or maybe the sharp ringing in your ears was because you had hit your head.

You tried hard to remember what had happened that led you to this point as you struggled against the restraints. But you were really weak, your entire body just wanted to get up, and you were trying to figure out just how much fighting you must've done to feel this terrible.

You remember staking out Sullivan's Boat and Auto Repair for a good half hour before three. You'd come up with an excuse to get out of school early, but you couldn't remember exactly what it was. It worked, obviously.

It looked like normal. The company had grown over the years, becoming big and industrial. Places all over the United States. They were a trusted company as far as you knew. You only did as much research as you could with a busted phone, once you got home.

You remembered seeing black vans pull up, and men file out from the backs. You'd counted exactly thirty, but then, two more trucks pulled up, supplying twelve more people, bringing the total up to forty-two, and you had forced the feeling of fear down. You were too close to give up now.

A charcoal SUV pulled in behind them, followed by a silver Audi. You recognized Guerra as she stepped out, accompanied by none other than Malcom Drake. But the two other people, you weren't too sure who they were.

You remember waiting to see exactly what the deal was, but then, you cursed your last self, you dropped down because you were getting impatient, and went straight for Malcom.

That was the last thing you remembered clearly, and obviously it led to you being tied up in a dark room who knows where, no knowing when you were going to get your strength back, no idea where you were, and no way to call for help.

Groaning, you tried to sharply turn your head, the purpose being to see if you could spot the turquoise hair you had attached to your mask over your shoulder, but you couldn't, and it hit you that your mask was off. They knew who you were.

Hot tears started to stream down your cheeks. You were stupid. You should've known this was a fight you couldn't have won, you were usually really good at figuring that out, it's how you've survived this long doing what you do.

But now you weren't sure if you would survive.

You started to cry harder, as much as you didn't want to show weakness. You felt like you had no choice, you couldn't think of a way to get out, you could barely see two feet in front of you.

Suddenly, you heard a muffled shout, followed by another gunshot. And then another. And then it sounded like it was raining bullets.

You had no idea what was going on out there, but it was definitely a fight. Your first thought was the deal went bad, maybe you still were at Sullivan's, that the two sides turned on each other, but your head was hurting so much, it was hard to think past that possibility.

More muffled shouts, groaning, and punches. It must've been the only thing you could hear for a solid five minutes. And then, a door in front of you opened, flooding the room with bright sunlight, and you had to shut your eyes so you wouldn't be blinded.

You wondered what would happen to you, whether they would just shoot you and get it over with quick, or if they would make you suffer. You interfered so much, nudged so many of their deals, you wondered if they would try and drag it out as long as they could to torment you.

"Oh my god..." you heard a familiar voice whisper, shock lacing it. "Y/N..."

Your eyebrows furrowed and you squinted as you opened your eyes. You were trying to place the voice, but when you felt hands untie the rope from around your wrists, the glimpse of red, you figured out exactly who it was.

"H-hi." You said weakly. Your throat was dry, and the word coming out clunky. It hadn't come to you yet to question how Spider-Man knew your name.

"I'm so sor..." His voice started to trail off, the ringing in your ears getting louder, and you groaned, the sunlight not helping with the massive thumping in your head, and you shut your eyes again, closing them tightly as you groaned a little. The relief of the tight ropes not binding you to the chair anymore also causing your pain.

Being lifted up and wind blowing in your face were the last things you remembered before blacking out again.

You were waking up again, but this time, you were laying down. The surface felt soft, like a bed, and you waited to open your eyes. Was everything you just experienced a dream? A horrible dream? Were you about to open your eyes, and you would wake up in your room on Friday morning?

But then then pain came. It was dull, but still everywhere.

Your eyes shot open when you realized none of that was a dream. Everything happened. You saw yourself staring at metal bars holding up another bed. You were on the bottom bunk in someone's room.

Sitting up, you flung your legs over so they'd be on the ground, and noticed your bare feet hit the wood flooring. Your suit was gone. Looking down at your clothes, you saw yourself wearing a pair of yellow striped pajama pants and a loose fitting Earth, Wind & Fire tee shirt. These definitely weren't your clothes.

You didn't look around the messy room as you stood up, making a beeline for the closed door. You wanted to find your stuff and get out of there as fast as you possibly could. You didn't know where you were, and you didn't know who brought you there.

Opening it, you saw a kitchen in front of you. And as you stepped into the hallway, you realized it extended both ways. To you your left, there was another two doors, and to your right, what looked like a living room. But not just an empty living room. You saw two figures sitting on the couch.

Cautiously and silently, you began to move towards them. You didn't want to fight, but you would try if you had too.

As you got closer, you started to make out their details, your vision becoming less blurry. One was a woman, who looked like she was in her late thirties, maybe early forties, but very beautiful, with long brown hair. And the other was a boy. He also had brown hair.

You took another step, fists raised and in a defensive position, but you stopped when the floorboard creaked loudly, and the two people turned their heads to face you,

One of them looked familiar, but the other didn't. But it only took you a second to search your brain and place the face.

"Peter?" The boy in fact, was Peter Parker, from your A.P. Bio class.

Peter bolted up, his eyes wide, and the woman standing up after him.

"Hey!" He said, a little surprised. "I-I really hope you don't mind me bringing you here. I just didn't know where else to go, a-and I knew you would be safe here." He began to speak, and your eyes widened when you made the connection. "You wouldn't wake up, and I wasn't sure what to do, so I just laid you down. But then I realized that I should probably have cleaned you up first, because you looked terrible! Not- not that _you_ look terrible, just that, you got beaten up a bit and you looked...not...good..." Peter cringed, his voice getting quieter before he stopped speaking, the woman placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry sweetie, I cleaned you up and gave you fresh clothes." She said with a warm smile, and you dropped your fists. "Your suit's in the wash, although it was ripped pretty badly."

"Oh. Y/N, this is my aunt, May," Peter introduced quickly, a nervous smile briefly appearing on his lips.

"You— you're Spider-Man?" The question was all you could get out after a short-lived silence.

"Yeah. I am." He paused. "Hi." Peter gave you a small wave, and you took another step forward.

"Where am I?"

"Our apartment in Queens." May answered for Peter. "Do you want to sit down? I can get you some water, and we can all talk if you'd like. Peter's told me what he knew, and I'm sure your side of the story would help too."

"Uh," You glanced around the room before at May, and then Peter. This news should've been more surprising to you it felt, but you also felt like because it was so surprising, the surprise hasn't set in yet. "Y-yeah. Yes, please." You walked forward towards the couch, and Peter moved out of the way, so you could sit down in the closest spot. He sat down next to you, but then realized how close he was and scooted back to give you room.

"I'm so sorry," you mumbled once May left the room, although the kitchen was open so you were sure she could listen in if she wanted. "I never should've— why did you—?"

"Hey. Hey, Y/N, it's fine." Peter told you, his voice soft and hesitant.

"What? No! How is it fine! Why did you come find me? You could've gotten hurt!"

"I found you because I knew you were hurt." He stopped, seeing the question in your eyes. "May uh...May calls it my Peter Tingle, but I honestly hate that phrase."

"Your what?"

"Basically, I can sense danger." He summed up with a small shrug. "And apparently when you're in danger too."

"That's..." You weren't sure what to say.

"It's crazy, I know." Then Peter smiled. "But it's also pretty cool. I mean, it helps me, a lot, actually." It went quiet again as you were trying to process what had happened, and what was happening at the same time. "Look, Y/N, I'm sorry too."

"Peter, I— you have nothing to be sorry about." You hung your head. "I'm sorry for what I said. This was all my fault. All of it."

"Don't place the blame all on yourself," you and Peter both heard May's voice, and you turned to look at her, glass of water in her hand, and you took form her with a smile as she sat down. "There's enough of that for everyone." She said that, casting a look in Peter's direction before focusing back on you. "Now what should we talk about first? Peter's crush on you, the fire that led you both here, or the last twenty-four hours?"

"May!" Peter groaned, his head falling embarrassedly into his hands, but you were still too confused to register why.

"Uh what?" You closed your eyes, replaying her words in your mind. "How about we rewind."

"How far?"

"The beginning, I guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all you PJO fans, join me in saying Happy Birthday Leo!
> 
> Also, I might start slowing updates to 2-3 times a week soon. I’ll tell you when I make that decision. I’m working on other projects that hopefully I can publish and you’ll see soon!


	24. TEASER: His Warrior Angel

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 _Y/N was sent to Earth as a warning._

_Thanos was coming, and she needed to protect the Infinity Stones._

_But everything changed: her mission, her life, her entire world after she met Peter Parker._

_He changed her, and in doing so, forced Y/N to make decisions she's never had too before. Decisions that began to tear her apart. Decisions that could cost her her life._  
○  
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_Be on the lookout,_   
_His Warrior Angel coming soon!_

  
_(_ _Story Idea spawned from @realqueenww2'_ s request from Wattpad. Credit goes to them. I'm not sure how many times I can thank them before it gets annoying.)  
  
  
  


  
—————  
A/N: This was my first teaser. Did I do all right?

I remember making the promise that if a story got longer than 8 chapters, I would make it separate. (Or was that just a promise to myself?) Well, here's me making good on that promise (whoevers it was) with His Warrior Angel. It _was_ supposed to only be a oneshot, but then I figured with a request like that, I had to delve into backstory so it would make more sense, so the plans changed to be a oneshot on the longer side. Aaaaaand then in the making of the backstory, I got hit with a full blown idea and I just couldn't resist writing it all. I don't think you can blame me. I'm 30,000 words and counting, so prepare yourselves! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I can make *anything* a normal length oneshot anymore. Unless someone's there to reel me in.


	25. He's A New Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): there's breakups and angst, but also relationships and fluff. Woo! I think it's pretty evenly spread throughout the story.
> 
> Flashbacks/memories/dreams are italicized. It'll make more sense once you get to the parts, you'll know what I'm talking about.

"Hey Y/N," You blinked and inhaled sharply at the sound of your name catching you by surprise. "You good?" Looking over to your left to face your mother sitting on the couch next to you.

"Huh?" Then you smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." You answered.

"You sure?" She scrunched her eyebrows from not truly believing you. "You looked like you weren't here. Something you wanna talk about?" She asked sweetly and you gave her a small smile.

"Nah Mom, I'll be okay." You reply, forcing a smile onto your lips. You didn't want to admit that your head was in a different place just yet, you were still trying to wrap your head around what you had gone through just two days ago. You hadn't told anyone, not your closest friends, or family, about your breakup. Not yet.

You knew your own mother could see right through your lies most of the time, but for some reason, maybe because it was because you were void of emotion at this point in time, she believed you and turned her head back to the movie the two of you were watching. Not even a week ago, you had wanted to watch the cheesy rom-com, but today, when you actually had the chance to, it was the last thing you wanted to see.

When it happened, you were numb. Shocked that you actually had to go through with it— that you _did_ go through with it— was your explanation. The only one you could come up with as to why you weren't balled up in your bed, crying yourself a headache. The shock clouded the feelings. You knew they were right there under the surface, and they were going to boil over at any time now. You just didn't know who was going to be there, if there even would be someone with you, when they did.

_The room was cold as the winter wind howled outside harshly, making the windows chatter in sync with you. School had been cancelled because of the blizzard outside, which you were grateful for, because you couldn't even imagine going outside in this weather, but at the same time, you thought that the school might have had their heat working if it was open._

_"He said he can't get here until Monday!" You heard your mother exclaim and you turned your head to face her as she emerged from the kitchen, her hand still on her phone from where she just got off the line with the building's landlord. "He knows it's_ negative forty degrees _right now, and we have no heat, right? You'd think he'd understand that." She huffed, annoyed with the results she had gotten, and you pulled the blanket that was over your body closer to you._

_You were covered head to toe with clothing, wearing an old Captain America onesie with shirt and pants underneath, gloves on your hands and a hat on your head. This was the second day in the row with the extreme temperature drop, and the second day with zero heat. Your mom sighed and sat down next to you, grabbing her own blanket and mimicking your actions of covering herself up._

_"Think of it this way," you began. "He won't get his money if we're dead," You laughed, giving your mom a small smile to which she shook her head but couldn't hide the amusement in her eyes._

_She reached for the television remote, aiming to turn on the T.V. so you could have some entertainment while you slowly froze to death, but stopped her action when the both of you heard a hurried knock on your front door._

_"Who the hell would be crazy enough to travel right now?" You asked as you stood up, wanting to give your mom a chance to raise some body heat. Making your way to the door, you slowly opened it up, and you were met with a familiar smile._

_"Soup for three?" He said, holding up a paper bag in which you could only assume contained a thermos. "I mean, we might have to warm it up, but it's your favorite." He laughed as you playfully punched his shoulder before pulling him in, quickly shutting the door behind him._

_"I told you_ not _to come," You chastised although you couldn't couldn't complain about your boyfriend being there now._

_"I distinctly remember you saying if I found a safe way here, I could," he countered, his voice filled with triumph._

_"He got you there," Your mom spoke, and you looked at her with surprise filling your features, her just shrugging in response._

_"Sarcasm. I was being sarcastic." You stated flatly, sending a glare in his direction, but the annoyance dissipated quickly, a smile replacing your frown when he quickly pressed his lips to yours before spinning into the kitchen, a grin on his face._

_"It was a text, so you have no proof! Now go sit your cute butt down, dinner in five."_

_Forcing yourself to grumble to keep the act up although all you wanted to do was to let the dumbest smile onto your features, you sat back down next to your beaming mother._

_"He's a keeper," She whispered in your direction, and you felt yourself blushing even though that wasn't the first time someone, especially her, has said that to you._

A ragged breath escaped your lips as the memory replayed vividly in front of your eyes, and you had to look away from the T.V., where the love interest of the movie had brought his own soup to the boy who's been pining over him for years during their own cold winter. Maybe those emotions were going to burst faster than you thought.

  
You hated tests.

They gave you too much time to think, when the one of the only reasons you could tolerate school was that it was a distraction from the outside world if you wanted it to be. The other reason being the time you get to spend with your friends.

Your mind and eyes drifted all over the place, from the kid in the back of the class who breathes too hard when concentrating to the trees moving slightly from the breeze outside. From the actual test in front of you, to your boyfriend of almost two years.

 _Ex_ -boyfriend.

That was going to have to be a term you'd have to get used to, it having been so familiar to say. You closed your eyes and tried to clear your thoughts. You were always so easily distracted. Most of the time it was one of your worst qualities. This being one of the times.

You hadn't noticed you were bouncing your leg until a piece of paper skidded across your desk and you had to mentally tell your brain to stop moving. You glanced to M.J on your right before carefully opening the paper as to not make any noise. Her words were hastily scribbled on the page, and it simply read, _remember to breathe._

You smiled and looked over at her before you picked up your pen and wrote back.

_Can we eat in the library today?_

You folded the paper back the way she had it, skillfully tossing it back like a ninja throwing star, and she caught it. When she opened it up and read what you wrote, she caught your eye and mouthed the words "Something wrong?" A frown appearing on her bored face.

"I need to talk to you." You mouthed back, quickly turning your head back to your paper when you saw out of the corner of your eye the teacher begin to turn his head. You could basically feel the confusion but also complete understanding coming off of M.J. like she already knew what was coming. You wouldn't be surprised if she did. The two of you have been friends for as long as you could remember, it was like you could read the other like an open book.

You risked one more look in her direction before taking a deep breath and focusing on the test on your desk, somehow forgetting everything you'd done to prepare for it.

_"I swear, I have no idea how you made it through your classes before me," You rolled your eyes as he chuckled, looking through your notes. "This is literally chicken scratch! How do you understand a word?" You snatched the notebook back when he turned it upside down, as if it would make your writing any easier to decipher._

_"I understand it, and that's all that matters." You told him, biting back a smile. "Now are we going to study or not?"_

_"We are, we are," He scooted forward. "I just have to rethink my plan. I_ did _want to walk out of here, your stolen notes hidden in my jacket because you note everything and I don't take notes at all, but they'll be zero use to me now."_

_"Come on," You groaned. "My handwriting isn't that bad!" You flipped open the notebook to the current subject. "Besides, we have different teachers, you're the lucky one in this scenario, you get to take it next week. You'll have plenty of time to study."_

_"And by study, you mean: you'll be seeing me around here more often so you could teach me all over again?"_

_"Shut up. You're smart, I'm not teaching you anything. It's not my fault you don't take notes."_

_"Who does?" He asked with a smirk. "Other than you." He added quickly._

_"I can name a few. M.J., Ned, uh—"_

_"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there."_

_"Why? Not liking being proved wrong?" You teased, relishing in the eye roll you elicited from your boyfriend._

_"No, I hate it when I ask questions when I already know you're right."_

_"Now that's your fault, isn't it?"_

_"Oh, shut up," He laughed._

_"Make me." You dared, your voice dropping, and you nudged his leg with your foot._

_"And here I thought you wanted to study,"_

Blinking rapidly, your hand shook as you circled your answer. You had subconsciously showed the work, but you didn't double check and instead trusted it was right. Or close enough to the right answer. The end of the period couldn't come any faster.

  
You couldn't explain with words the literal goddess M.J. was.

She was right there with you as you broke down in the library, telling her everything. You could tell her love for you and knowing you needed her was the only thing that kept her from jumping up and beating him down right in the middle of the class he was in. She'd warned him when the two of you started dating that he wouldn't like what she would do if he ever hurt you, and you doubted she would go back on her word. Especially when you could see the fury in the back of her eyes.

But M.J. thought of you first, offering words of wisdom that came in the form of insults directed towards him, and words of encouragement to you. The rest of the day, she made sure not to leave your side as much as she possibly could, the two of you only separating when you had different classes, and meeting up the moment those classes were over.

You went back to regular lunch the next day, and she encouraged you to tell Ned and Peter as well, if you were ready, that was. You figured the sooner they knew the better, and you were personally guaranteed a throw down from every single one of them if he had the nerve to try and find you and try to fix things. You knew the anger emanating from your three friends wasn't something to mess with, and you were glad they were on your side and you wouldn't ever have to face their wrath. M.J. was ready to throw fists for you, Ned was ready to hack into his social media accounts and embarrass him as much as he could, and Peter, well Peter looked like he was ready to kill for you, and you were scared to say that you knew more than most he was completely capable of doing so.

Retelling the story for a second time wasn't an easy thing to do, but Peter and Ned sat patiently until the end, listening to your every word. You weren't even sure how you would be able to recount the words for a third time when you had to tell your mother. Fortunately to you, everyone offered to walk you home and be there for you when you did.

_He said he went with his parents on their business trip. That's what he told you, at least, the reason why he would be gone for the weekend._

_So when you saw someone that looked like him at the mall, you told yourself it wasn't him. You had only seen the side of his face after all, it could've been anybody. You were waiting for the cashier at the Hot Topic when it happened, and you were there alone. You figured it would be easier to stop there on your way home from M.J.'s rather than to ask your mom to drive you out when she got home from work._

_The person that looked like him and the blonde he was with were still standing in the same place, behind you and on the other side of the escalators by a bench when you had paid and was walking out with your newly acquired clothing. You could tell that they were both smiling. Laughing._

_She was really pretty, you couldn't help but notice, and you thought to yourself that she looked happy with her boyfriend, especially when he leaned down to kiss her. You were about to turn away and to mind your own business when he picked her up and spun her around. When they stopped, he was now facing your direction._

_You knew staring was rude, but something told you to not look away no matter what, and when he pulled away from the girl, you'd gotten a clear look at his face, despite the distance._

_It was him, there was no mistaking that._

_That was a face you were too used to seeing, having seen it for years, even before you started dating. You felt your chest tighten, as well as your hand around your bag, and you kept staring. You couldn't stop. There was your boyfriend, when he said he would be in Boston for the weekend. There was your boyfriend, kissing a girl that wasn't you._

_Although you couldn't see it, you felt the color drain from your face. You couldn't believe it, but at the same time, the picture was right in front of you, clear as day. You felt numb, too many emotions were fighting in you at once, too many for you to settle on, so your mind settled on nothing._

_Your breath came back to you, ironically, when he looked up and met your eyes from across the mall. You watched as the smile faded from his face in an instant, and he let go of the girl just as fast. She said something, to which you assumed was along the lines of asking if he was all right, and he muttered back a quick excuse as too why he had to go._

_Gulping, you turned around and started walking away. The last minute replaying in your head on repeat, the only thing you could see although your eyes were open and taking in the sights of people and shops and kiosks._

_"Y/N!" You heard your name being called from behind you. It was his voice. You knew it. "Y/N wait!"_

_You didn't stop moving, but you weren't running either, so he caught up to you quickly, grabbing your arm to spin you around._

_"Y/N I swear, it's not what it looks like!" He pleaded, his voice sounding desperate and you just blinked and stared blankly. In front of you was the boy you'd decided to give the most intimate parts of your heart too, and he just crushed them while all you could do was stand and watch._

_"I'm pretty sure I know what it looked like." You answered, your voice unnervingly even and devoid of tone. "How long?" You asked._

_"Babe, it was only once! I didn't even want to kiss her! She came onto me—" What a lie that was. You knew exactly what you had seen._

_"How. Long." You asked again, enunciating your words, an edge to them you've never heard in your voice before._

_He sighed. "Four months." he answered guiltily. "If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't all because of you."_

_You couldn't believe what he said. You couldn't believe what you saw. You couldn't believe the words that came out of your mouth because you'd said them without even thinking twice._

_"We're done."_

_"Please! Wait! Let me make it up to you! I promise it won't happen again!"_

_"No." You stated firmly, walking away and towards the exit you saw I'm front of you._

_"Y/N—"_

_"I said no."_

You knew if you had over thought about it right then and there, if your emotions didn't take control, or rather, they did, you would've gone right back to him. He was your first real relationship, and you cursed your teenage mind for thinking he could be it.

You were glad you didn't, more than glad, though. With the help of your mom and your friends, you stayed strong, if not stronger than ever.

By the end of the month, you were proud to admit that every trace of him was nearly gone, his number was erased, and Peter, M.J. and Ned helped make it stay that way. While you were in no way over him yet, you were on the right track and you told yourself you weren't going to let yourself get off course.

But that didn't stop you from detours.

"Knock, knock,"

M.J. rolled her eyes, and Ned answered Peter. "Who's there?"

"Cows."

"Cows who?"

"No. Cows moo." Ned laughed at the stupid joke, and M.J. just took back the chip bag. You were staring at the wall, listening, but not really there.

"Alright, my turn," Ned announced. "How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?"

"How many?" M.J. asked out of not participating in any of the others.

"Ten tickles." She snorted, although she wasn't expecting to actually laugh, which set Ned off again, because she was the hardest out of the group to get. At least usually she was. Today, everyone noticed you not paying attention, and more importantly, not laughing.

"Hey Y/N," you heard Peter's voice, and you turned your head towards him. "What's the most terrifying word in nuclear physics?"

"Um, I dunno?" You replied, tilting your head and waiting for the answer.

"Oops." Peter said with a grin, but it faded when he got no reaction out of you. "Are you—"

"I gotta go take a breather." You interrupted him, standing up, and earning strange glances from the group, and they exchanged looks but otherwise stayed silent. "I'll be right back." You knew once you walked out of your room, they would debate about which one of them, if not jut all of them, would follow you to see what's up.

You checked the time — only six o'clock — before you pulled yourself through the window and out onto the fire escape in the living room. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and let the fading sun hit your face, listening to the sounds of traffic that were oddly calming.

You didn't think you were out there not even five minutes before you heard a soft breath behind you, someone climbing out to meet you. You didn't open your eyes, but heard their footsteps stop right next to you.

Whoever it was, Ned, M.J., or Peter, they didn't say anything for another couple minutes. But when they did, you recognized it instantly as Peter's voice, and it was in the form of a joke.

"Why do seagulls fly over the sea?" Your turned your head to face him your eyes opening. "Because if they fly over the bay, they'd be bagels!" Peter raised his eyebrows, waiting for something, but your face stayed flat. "Alright, I got another one." He cleared his throat. "How did the two ghost brothers resemble each other?" Peter waited a moment, but you just closed your eyes again and shook your head slightly. "They were dead ringers."

You exhaled, running your hand over the metal railing and Peter stepped closer to you. "Okay Y/N, you're playing tough tonight. But I'm certain I'll get you with this one." You looked back over at him, and he had a large smile on his face, you could tell he was trying hard not to laugh at it before it even came out. "A photon checks into a hotel, right? And he's asked if he wants any help with his luggage. He says _"No thanks. I'm traveling light."_ Eh?"

"Oh my— Peter," The corners of your lips twitched upwards, and Peter didn't fail to notice.

"Hey! Ah- ah- ah you can't pretend you weren't just going to laugh!" He exclaimed quickly, making a laugh escape your mouth. "Ha! I knew you would laugh at that!" He said victoriously, your laughter fading and a smile appearing in its wake, and you found Peter staring at you. "There's that smile." He then said softly, and you met his eyes, finding them warm as ever, his expression soft as his own smile brightened his features. "That's all we want to see, you know. It's been too long without it."

"I've smiled," You countered half-heartedly.

"Not truly smiled, like you just did. We can tell the difference you know, Y/N, you're a terrible actor."

"You're saying that was my first real smile in what, two and a half months?"

"Yup." Peter agreed, shrugging his shoulders, and you felt something inside you drop. He was right, you couldn't fool yourself. And apparently you weren't fooling your friends. "Do you want to tell me?" Peter asked quietly, inching closer so that your shoulders were touching for support and comfort.

Sighing, you dropped your head. "I just can't figure it out, Pete," you answered in a quiet voice.

"Figure what out?" He asked.

"What was I doing wrong, that made him want to cheat?" You got out, your voice cracking a little, because you've been holding in that question the entire time.

"Y/N don't say that, you weren't doing anything wrong." And before you could speak, Peter continued. "He was a douchebag. As are most guys. Not me and Ned though, of course,"

"Of course," you agreed, nodding your head and rolling your eyes, another small smile making its way onto your face.

There was a small moment of silence where neither of you spoke, but Peter broke it. "I don't think you realize exactly how much he lost." He placed his hand on your cheek, turning your head so you would look at him before dropping his hand. "You're amazing. You really are, don't give me that look I know you're gonna give me."

"Peter, come on,"

"No, I'm serious!" He said, his eyes widening to show just how much he meant it. "He's really losing out for letting you go. You know why?" Hesitantly, you shook your head no. "Because of what he did, he's never going to see the way your eyes light up when someone mentions something you love. They shine so bright, and no one can help but to stare at them when you get like that.

He's never going to see just how competitive you are when playing Mario Kart, the lengths you go to to win, how funny your insults are. You think you're hurting someone, but the truth is you can't ever actually think of something to hurt us and it takes all we have not to laugh that we get so distracted, you win."

"Hey!" Peter just smiled.

"The way you try so hard to write down anything you find important in class, your face as you're concentrating, and the relief that floods through you when you finally have a chance to put down your pen or pencil and stretch your hand. But it's totally worth it because you _always_ say that we're gonna need it later, and you'll be the only person with the information because everyone knows no one can read your handwriting. Or when we graduate, and we'll all get accepted into the same college because we've all wanted to go to the same one, and you say with that cute teasing face of yours "I told you so" to all of us while you're already planning a party in your head.

Or how you look in the morning, still half asleep and in your pajamas, walking into the kitchen like a zombie until you could get food in your system. Your hair's always a wreck, but God, it's the most beautiful I've ever seen you." Peter froze, you already having done that a while ago, his ears turning a bright pink, but he kept going. "There's nothing wrong with you, there's never been anything wrong with you. He was an idiot for not seeing any of that, because honestly Y/N, if I were in his place, I wouldn't give any of that up for the world."

You've never been this stunned in your life. Everything that Peter just said, you weren't sure if that was him being a supportive friend, or if it was a confession. And if it was the latter— hell, at this moment you weren't sure how to function so it didn't matter— you didn't know how to react.

"Woah." You and Peter heard Ned and M.J.'s voices speak in unison, the both of them were sitting on the floor in front of the window, staring wide-eyed at you and Peter. You could only assume they heard everything, and none of you knew what to do next.

_You were standing in front of the open refrigerator door and you frowned down at the contents, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. You were silently humming your favorite song under your breath when you stood up fully and swung open the freezer door._

_"Woah!" You heard Peter exclaim, making you jump. "Watch the head." He chuckled, and you smiled, quickly closing the freezer door and looking over to find Spider-Man standing in your kitchen, leaning against the wall, and you could tell he had a grin on his face. And when he ripped off his mask, brown eyes meeting yours, you were only proven right._

_"Don't go using your stealth on me, and I won't hit you in the head with the freezer door!" You countered, laughing at the boy who stood up properly and walked around you as you opened the freezer again, staring into its contents, looking for inspiration._

_"What're doing sweetheart?" He asked softly, and you felt his arms wrap around his torso, and his chin on your shoulder as he rested his head there._

_"Trying to find something to eat, unless, you don't want dinner," You rolled your eyes, chuckling a little when Peter tightened his arms and whined a little._

_"Let's just order some take-out, make some popcorn, and have a movie night. It's been too long and I want an excuse to cuddle you."_

_"Do you ever really need an excuse?" You laughed, closing the door for a second time and turning around in his arms, making him lift his head and shoot you a toothy grin. "Because to me, it seems like you do it whenever you want."_

_"Not like you're complaining,"_

_"Touché." You sighed, closing your eyes as the boy in front of you leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours._

"And then I woke up!" You breathed out to an awe-struck Ned. "What- what do I do? What does that mean?" You asked him hurriedly. It was early in the morning, first period hadn't even started yet, but you needed to tell this to someone. Peter was definitely out of the question, and Ned was the first one you ran into, so you recounted your dreams events to one of your best friends.

"What do you mean what do you do?" He asked the second he could talk. "You're in love with Peter!"

"Shh! Any louder and you'll tell the whole school." You glared at him. "I'm not in love with Peter, that's ridiculous!"

"Hey, don't tell me that, tell yourself that." He chuckled, closing his locker. "You're the one having dreams about being together."

"I was not— we weren't—" Ned stared at you, and you knew just by that look you knew what he was going to say, not even having to say it. Groaning, you spun around before stopping back in front of Ned. "Tell _no one_ about this."

"But—"

"Ned, I'm serious, please don't tell anyone. Especially Peter."

"Y/N, what do I always say about dreams?"

"That they represent the most unrealistic parts of our minds?" You said, faking hopefulness in your voice.

"Ha ha, no." You frowned and Ned kept speaking. "That dreams show you either what you really want, or your deepest fears."

"That's a pretty vague scale, Edward," you said, your tone completely serious.

"Oof, you called me Edward." Then Ned sighed. "Look, it's okay that you're in love with Peter! I'm fact, I'm pretty sure he's in love with you too!"

"No one is in love with anyone." You told him, telling yourself that too, because you didn't want to start thinking of the possibilities. "I gotta go, but promise?"

"Eh..."

"Promise!" You shouted to Ned as you started down the hallway, the first bell just ringing, and you had to get across the school for your first class.

By the time your third period study hall rolled around, you immediately knew Ned had spilled, the first words M.J. spoke to you being "You're in love with Peter. Stop lying to yourself."

"I'm gonna kill him," you muttered, shutting your book and looking up at the girl.

"No you're not." She said matter of factly. "You should know by now than to trust Ned with a secret. Besides, I already figured that out a while ago."

"What? M.J., I'm _not_ in love with Peter!" You told her, keeping your voice low, but the emotion was there all the same.

"Yes you are, and you have been since like a week after he said all the stuff about you on the fire escape at your apartment."

"That was like, two months ago!" You argued.

"Yeah, and I think it's time you stop putting Peter through all this torture and just admit your feelings." You took a breath, getting ready to speak, but she got there before you, and you knew better than to interrupt M.J.. "Things were weird between you two, because he basically just confessed, and you know that. But then after a week, things went back to normal. At least, you thought they did. Y/N, do you see the way he looks at you? Actually, I suppose you don't. But do you even realize how _you_ look at Peter? You made a realization that week, and for some crazy reason, you won't admit that to yourself. It's been almost _five months_ since you broke up with that pillock, I think you need to hear me say it, because it's _okay_ to move on."

"MJ...." you said softly, drawing your eyebrows together. You didn't want to think any of that was true, but she's only ever told you the truth. The truth, and what she always thought was best for you. You've never not taken her advice before.

"I am a hundred and ten percent he's in love with you, and if I'm right, let's face it, I probably am, he's _been_ in love with you for years. Probably even before we met him." M.J.'s face softened, and she smiled.

"Even if that's true," you started slowly. "And I'm not saying that it is," you made sure to add. "That would mean this entire time, all my time with..." you took a deep breath. "He loved me but watched me be with someone else?"

"Do you get what I mean by torture now?" M.J. leaned in closer, resting her arms on your desk. "All he wants is for you to be happy. And yeah, it probably killed him inside, but it's what you wanted, and you know Peter. He isn't going to take that away by telling you how he feels. He isn't that kind of person. He isn't _him_ , Y/N. There's no way Peter would ever hurt you on purpose."

You closed your eyes, taking in the information, it swarming around in your brain like a churning sea. "I love Peter," You said quietly, finally admitting it to yourself, and you felt your heart swell like a balloon. But like all balloons do eventually, it popped. "What if this doesn't work? What if I say something, and we get together, how would that affect the group if we break up? I don't want to lose him. What if—"

"Do I need to tell him myself?" M.J. asked, completely serious, and you shook your head no. Although, part of you wanted to know how she would go about that. Probably be blunt and lay it all down flat like always. "Then at lunch, when all of us are together and me and Ned will be there to support you, _or_ you could do it after school when you two are alone or whatever, you tell him. And if you need anymore incentive to tell him today, I'm gonna bring it up tomorrow at lunch, Either way, the truth is gonna come out."

"O-okay."

You stared at your phone on your bed in front of you, anxiously trying to make a decision.

You chickened out during lunch. You were nervous and sweating, and being under M.J.'s watch was slightly unnerving so that didn't help. Peter noticing and asking if you were okay was past your limit, and you said nothing. Which was odd, because there was a fifty-fifty chance of that happening. The other option being you would bust and say everything in one breath and be lightheaded when you were finished.

And after school, you were walking with Peter, about to ask him what he was planning later, when he turned off the way he goes when he plans on going out as Spider-Man. You didn't stop him either. Suddenly, you were scared of any word that might come out of your mouth.

But as you stared at your phone, you could hear M.J.'s voice in your head telling you you were overthinking things. You knew it was either tell him today, yourself, or have M.J. do it for you. You couldn't lie and say that you thought it might be easier if she exposed the both of you.

It wasn't that late, but you weren't sure if Peter would pick up, if he was home or not. You picked up your phone, and your thumb hovered over the call button, but you didn't know what you would say, so you put your phone back down. Taking another breath, you picked up your phone and opened the messaging app, finding Peter's name, and texting him, asking if he could come over and that you really needed to talk to him. You bit your cheek as you sent the message. Now it was out there, you couldn't take it back.

_"What do you want to do for your birthday, Y/N?" You heard him ask as you laid you head against his arm._

_"Hm," You began, squinting your eyes as you thought. "I don't really want a big party, you know?" You sighed. "Just probably me and you, and Mom. M.J., Ned, and Peter—" you heard him make a small noise at Peter's name, but you ignored it. "We'll all probably just hang out here. Watch movies and eat junk food and cake. That's all I really want."_

_"How about I take you out for the day?" You turned your head questioningly towards him, waiting for him to explain. "We'll go to all of your favorite places, and be back here for a dinner?"_

_"And what about my friends?" You asked, not really expecting an answer because you were joking. At the moment, you were thinking although he left them out, he meant they would be there too._

_"Well, sure, Michelle and Ned could be there too. I wouldn't mind."_

_Then you frowned. "And what about Peter?" You sat up on the couch, turning your body towards him and becoming more serious._

_"Doesn't he have that Stark Internship? He'll probably be busy, right?"_

_You had to hide your anger. You knew Peter could choose the days he went to the "Stark Internship", but he didn't. you also had to suppress the feeling that he didn't want Peter there. That would be ridiculous. You realized you were quiet for almost a minute when you could hear the traffic outside._

_"I'm sure he can get my birthday off. I'm pretty sure he already does, since it's in a couple of days." You tell him with certainty in your voice. Peter already promised you he wouldn't miss your birthday. "Anyway, I think I like my idea better. That way, I can make you all suffer through all my favorite shows."_

_"Whatever you want," He answered, pressing a kiss to the side of your head, and you smiled. "I had to at least pitch my idea."_

_"I don't really want people making such a big deal out of it. It's the day I was born, not something I think is worth really celebrating."_

_"Oh, so you don't want a present?"_

_"If you think you can get out of giving me something, you are sorely mistaken." You grinned, settling back into your spot next to him and looking up at the television._

_A couple days passed, and before you knew it, it was your birthday. You were sitting in the living room with everyone, laughing and having a good time while your mother was in the kitchen, frosting the cake, and you were waiting for Peter to show up._

_He'd texted you a little while ago, saying that he got caught up in a car theft, and he'll be there in a little bit, reassuring you that he wouldn't miss your party, and you believed him. You knew by now that there was no way to convince the boy not to go be a hero._

_You were in the middle of a Sherlock episode when the front door burst open, and you turned your head as well as everyone else to face it, a large grin forming on your face, and you stood up from where you were sitting on the ground for some reason._

_"I am here, bearing gifts!" Peter announced, and you shook your head at the boy as you walked over. He laughed as you hugged him, quickly shaking his head no when you quietly asked if he was hurt. "Did I miss the presents?"_

_"No, we were waiting for you," your mom said from the kitchen. "Came just in time. We got pizza, and it's still hot. Cake and presents right after."_

_"Nice." Peter smiled, taking a deep breath because you could almost hear his heart beating fast from rushing. Your eyes scanned the room, and while Ned and M.J. were beckoning the two of you to come over, you saw your boyfriend with a small frown on his face. It disappeared though when your eyes met, and turned into a welcoming smile._

_After successfully thwarting a food fight after he accidentally flicked a piece of cake and it landed on M.J's leg, it was present time, and your mom made sure to have her camera out._

_"That's the one you needed, right?" Ned asked excitedly as you pulled out the small LEGO set from the bag._

_"Yeah!" You replied, thanking the boy as your eyes roamed over the Star Wars LEGOs. It was part of a collection you'd been collecting for the last month, and that was the last set you needed._

_"We're building it right after this is all cleared." He told you, and you nodded your head in agreement._

_"Me next." M.J. said as she shoved a rectangular gift wrapped thing at you, and once you felt it, you knew exactly what the items were._

_"Let me guess." You said, slowly tearing the paper and looking into her eyes. "You got me the whole trilogy, didn't you?"_

_"Maybe." She shrugged, a small smile on her lips as you finished unwrapping it, revealing the latest books you wanted to read, but didn't have enough money to buy them all at once, which was what you usually did so you wouldn't have to wait in between books._

_"You already read them, didn't you?"_

_"Tell me when you get to chapter fourteen. It's crazy." She told you in reply and you laughed, shaking your head._

_"Babe?" You turned your head when he was holding something out to you, tearing your attention from the synopsis on the back of the books, and you remembered what you were doing._

_"Oh. Yeah." You smiled when you took the hastily wrapped flat square. At first you thought it was a movie, but then realized it was too small. Opening it up, you saw it was a CD of your favorite album from your favorite band. Looking up, you saw confusion on everyone's faces, but you hid your disappointment because of the eagerness on his. You couldn't find it in yourself to tell him you already owned the album. "Thanks. This is great." You told him, kissing his cheek and placing the_ _CD on the coffee table._

_"Okay, okay, it's my turn." Peter said hurriedly, twisting and reaching into the bag he brought and bringing out a little black box. Immediately, you figured out it was jewelry, and took it suspiciously, not breaking eye contact with the boy as you opened it up._

_Looking down, you saw a charm bracelet, already adorned with three charms; one a miniature version of Spider-Man's head, another one that represented a web, and a small circle that read the words_ Spidey 4 Life. _"Oh my god, Peter," You stifled a laugh as you raised the bracelet for everyone to see, a groan coming from M.J., Ned starting to laugh, your mom shaking her head, and Peter sent you a not so subtle wink_ _paired_ _with a cheeky grin._

_"You like it?" Peter asked, but before you could answer, he spoke again. "Just wait, you'll love this."_

_"You got her two gifts?" He asked before anyone else could, and Peter just shrugged._

_"It wasn't that big a deal," He answered, pulling out an envelope and swiftly handing it to you, scootching closer to see your reaction better, biting his lip anxiously._

_"Why do I have a feeling you're lying?" You questioned as you began to open the envelope._

_"I don't know why you would think that." Inside the envelope, there was a letter._

_"Read it out loud." Your mother said as you opened the paper up, your eyes going wide at the large bold words of_ _**Stark Industries** _ _written at the top._

_"Dear Ms. Y/L/N, I would like to personally inform you of a new internship program that is developing here at Stark Industries. It is open to all interns, both former and those liking to apply, and luckily for you, you're already accepted into the program. You came highly recommended._

_Starting at a convenient time for you, you will have access to the first two floors of the new Avengers Compound in upstate New York, where you will be able to tour the facility, meet the staff and inhabitants, and study under the top engineers and scientists we have._

_Along with the learning experience, with time, you'll be given a work space of your own, as well as clearance to develop any Stark Technology alongside people such as myself. I'm looking forward to those ideas I've heard so much about._

_See you soon._

_Signed, Tony Stark"_

_The room was silent, and you slowly looked up at Peter, who was impatiently waiting for you to finish, bouncing where he was sitting. You stared at him for a moment, before trying to speak._

_"This is real?" You asked, your voice low and quiet from disbelief._

_"Uh huh." He nodded. "Real as me. Told you you'll love it."_

_"Peter this is insane!" You laughed out, moving from where you were sitting to hug the boy again, wrapping your arms around his body tightly. "I can't believe it!"_

_"That's it," the room heard Ned sigh, defeated. "Peter always wins the best present of the year award. I think we all should drop out of the running and just willingly give the crown to him."_

_"Way to ten up everyone, Parker," M.J. said, pretending to be bitter about it, but in reality, she was just shocked. And happy._

_Letting go of him, you assumed a new seat next to Peter, and you grinned into the camera, where your awe-struck mom was still recording, flipping the letter so she could get it into the frame. This time though, you couldn't mistake the anger on your boyfriends face for anything else. But you decided to ignore it. Peter had just given you the best birthday gift of your life, and you wanted to enjoy it._

You gasped when you realized that Ned was right. M.J. was right. Peter's always been in love with you.

That memory was only one of hundreds of thousands the two of you made together, and in nearly all of them, you'd never felt a negative emotion, compared to the multiple you felt with _him_. Peter always made sure you were happy before him, he always listened to you, made you laugh, and was there for you when you cried. And you were always there for him, over at his apartment nearly every day to make sure he, and his aunt, took care of themselves when they lost Ben, helped him come up with excuses for when random bruises and cuts showed up on his body from when he went out as Spider-Man, and you were always up for making a complete fool of yourselves because the both of you have always had wild imaginations, and mixed with your love for superheroes, it always resulted in games of play pretend.

You never felt like you had to hide or change for Peter, and you realized that you've always been in love with him.

"You're happy." You hadn't heard the knock on your window, but you heard Peter's voice as he was climbing through and into your bedroom. At his words, you noted the wide smile on your face.

"Yeah," You answered, your voice a little shy.

"So what's up?" Peter asked, glancing at your closed bedroom door before taking off his mask, revealing his face. "Sorry I didn't answer, I was already on my way over here once you asked."

"No, no that's fine," You shook your head, but couldn't tear your eyes from the boy in front of you.

Peter noticed you staring, but didn't say anything, instead a small smile spreading across his features and tilting his head slightly to the side, patiently waiting for what you had to say.

You'd never felt more comfortable but also simultaneously nervous at the same time before, and it didn't take long for you to figure out that this wasn't the first time you've ever had a mix of those emotions. The other times always being with Peter.

"Did you just miss me?" Peter asked with a small laugh, partially joking, when he saw you step towards him, and you took a deep breath when you brought a hand up and gently ran your fingers through his hair. Peter was slightly confused, but didn't object to the action.

"I'm about to kiss you, okay?" you mumbled softly as you brought up your other hand to cup his face. Peter's eyes went wide and you could tell a million things were waiting to come out of his mouth, but he welcomed you, moving his lips against yours and one of his hands coming up to cradle the back of your neck after you connected the two of you for the first time.

You've never had a kiss like this before, one that you never wanted to pull back from. Your lips were tingling when you and Peter separated, and the both of you stood in silence, both of your eyes closed and smiling as you replayed what just happened in your head.

"I think it's safe to say I wasn't expecting that," Peter softly broke the silence, and you peeked your eyes open to see him smiling at you.

"I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner." You whispered, but the second you stopped talking, Peter kissed you again.

"Please don't apologize for anything. I'm just happy you did something, because I don't think I would've ever worked up the nerve." He laughed against your lips and the room went silent for another moment. "When did this happen?"

"Consciously, just today." You smiled. "Subconsciously? For years, I just found out."

"Years," Peter repeated breathlessly, shaking his head. "I don't even want to think about what could've been."

"You can think about what can be?" You offered, still nervous, butterflies still erupting in your stomach although you've already been given confirmation of zero rejection.

"That is totally something we can do." Peter agreed, and you dropped your hands so that they hung around his neck and began to hug him.

You never wanted to let him go. Peter wasn't him, he was a new chapter if not the start a new book. One you could only hope was the ending of your story, because it felt so right, so natural, so meant to be.


	26. Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I actually wrote this a really long time ago, when I watched Homecoming for the first time (?) I had the idea and wrote it pretty much immediately, but I've come a long way with my skills writing wise since then, so the editing process was a bit cringe and I rewrote a lot. Although, I think everything I write is cringe.
> 
> Warnings: it is a Valentine's Day chapter, so zero angst this time! A lot of dramatic irony, but it's all good. I also was smiling dumbly at the screen by the end, but that might just be me. I just didn't want to wait for Febuary to roll around. I'll probably write another one, maybe.

"Not looking forward to Valentine's Day?" You heard a voice ask you and the sound of a body slumping up against the lockers, and when you closed your locker, you were met with a smiling Peter Parker. 

"I'm not looking forward to the "love crazed" teenagers." You said with air quotes. "You know that." You smiled as you slung your backpack over your shoulder, looking at your best friend. 

"Yeah, that stuff's gross." You and Peter shuddered as you tried hard not to imagine all the making out that annually happens in the hallways for the upcoming holiday. "But our plans are still on for tomorrow, right?" 

"Why would I cancel?" You asked rhetorically. 

"I dunno. Maybe you got a hot date or something and you haven't told us yet." You scoffed. 

"You're hilarious, Pete," 

"Hey! You never know." He countered, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as you walked to the schools exit together. 

This wasn't anything out of the ordinary, you and Peter have been friends for years, since elementary school actually. The two of you felt so comfortable together, you wouldn't know what to do without the other. 

"You never know what?" The two of you turned your heads as Ned jogged up next to you. 

"Peter had the absurd idea that maybe I'll have a date for Valentine's Day." You laughed. 

"Wh-what? No! That's crazy!" You stared at Ned with confusion on your face as you listened to his voice get an octave higher and become anxious like it does whenever he's lying. 

"Are you two hiding something from me?" You asked, leaning in closer to your friends. 

"No." Peter said quickly, giving Ned a look when you weren't looking. 

"I swear, if I find out that one of you set me up with someone I don't want to go out with, I'm killing you both." 

"But you'll regret it if you kill us." 

"Nah, I'll just need to get it out of my system, then I'll bring you back to life." You shrugged. 

"And how would you do that?" Peter asked, laughing, and the tone of the conversation turning back to being playful. 

"You guys haven't figured it out? Those extra books I've been carrying around? I'm learning necromancy." You joked, patting your bag. 

"That'd be cool if you were." Ned started. "As long as you don't rise too much of the undead and lose control." 

"I'll leave the magic to the Avengers." You sighed and repositioned your bag on your back. 

The three of you walked through the mob of teenagers in the hallway, all with the shared thought to get out of the school, and out of the side doors. Talking with Ned until you got to the busses, you and Peter said a quick goodbye before turning back around to walk together. 

"Hey, talking about tomorrow, you wanna come over and hang out? After we do our other thing of course. We can watch movies and eat all the junk food in the house." You nudged Peter and you both smiled. 

"That sounds perfect." He nudged you back, and the both of you started laughing. 

You walked to Delmar's, greeting the owner and had your regular conversation with him as your sandwiches were being prepared. The two of you had been going there to get food after school for so long, the Delmar family was pretty much like extended family. 

What you didn't know, was that Mr. Delmar loved seeing both yours and Peters faces become red and embarrassed every time he made a comment on how the two of you belonged together. 

He knew when two people liked each other, and he's seen how Peter looks at you. And how you look at him. He knew it was just a matter of time. 

"What's up Murph?" The cat jumped into your arms as you walked over to greet him. "Nice to see you missed me." You chuckled as the he jumped right back onto the counter, only spending a couple seconds in your arms after you'd rubbed his back. 

"Hey, you and Peter are his favorite customers, so don't take that for granted." Mr. Delmar beamed at you while handing your food over to Peter. "Ten for the sandwiches if somehow you forgot. Who's paying for the gummy worms today?" 

"I am." You said, stepping forwards and grabbing a dollar out of your pocket. For a while now, you and Peter alternated paying for the bag that the two of you always split. 

"Didn't you pay last time?" 

"It's all right, whatever gets me my gummies." You grinned, picking up the bag and Peter handed you your sandwich. 

"See you later Mr. Delmar!" Peter called over his shoulder as you walked out. 

"See you later, kids." 

The two of you cut through a couple of alleys to get to a lone bench that sat under a small canopy of trees. It's where you went to eat and do homework whenever you walked home together. 

You and Peter had started this routine only a couple of days after your mom got a new job, and she didn't come back home from work until later. You hated being alone, and Peter was quick to come up with an idea so you wouldn't have to be. 

"So what was that earlier?" 

"What was what?" Peter asked, taking off his backpack and carefully taking out his s binder before zipping it back up. 

"You and Ned clearly have plans, you're both terrible liars." You raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah. With you." He laughed, and tried to play it as casual as he could. That was the truth, but it also wasn't the full truth, and he was trying his hardest not to give it away. It was common knowledge that he couldn't keep a secret. 

"Because I totally believe that." You grinned, grabbing your homework before you took a bite of your food. 

"There's nothing you shouldn't believe. Ned probably just got excited about our plans to go ice skating. he knows how you aren't very good at it." Peter smiled.. 

"Hey!" You leaned over and pushed his as he laughed. "It's not my fault I can't balance!" You grabbed your Algebra homework. "But it's hilarious watching the two of you fail too," 

"I'm a good skater, thank you very much." Peter stated proudly, grabbing the same work as you so you could do it together. 

"We'll see tomorrow, I guess, then." 

You'd finished the pack of gummy worms faster than normal, the two of you somehow deciding it was a good idea to try and throw them into each other's mouths. Two hours later, the both of you were pretty cold, but had finished all of your homework. 

"That seem easy to you?" Peter asked, taking a deep breath. "That seemed pretty easy to me." 

"Everything seems easy to you, Mr. Genius." You said sarcastically.

"Right." He stood up and put on his bookbag and grabbing yours as well. "Come on." He smiled down at you and held his hand for you to take. 

"Where are we going?" You asked, curiously eyeing his hand. 

"Home, but y'know, it's fun to switch things up a little bit." 

"I swear, no surprises Peter," 

"There are no surprises today, I swear. I just wanted to help you up, but whatever." He shrugged and let his hand drop back to his side. 

"Oh come on Pete, stop being so over dramatic." You grabbed his hand and rolled your eyes with a smile as you stood up. He smiled, and hand in hand, you started walking. 

Even though he said home, you always walk around for a little while before he drops you off back at your apartment, just to burn some time that you would otherwise be spending alone. The few exceptions being the days when something happens, like a distant mugging or a bank robber, and Peter has to run. 

Peter hated leaving you to walk home alone the days that happens, but you understood that Peter wanted to help, and he couldn't appreciate you any more than he already does for that. 

You were walking as slow as you could, but you still eventually had to part at your front steps. Saying a quick goodbye, you waited outside and watched as Peter ducked in between buildings, and waited for Spider-Man to appear in the sky, before heading outside. 

Today was Valentine's Day. 

Forcing yourself to get out of bed in the morning, not really wanting to see the teenagers in the hallways more than normal, you set out for school. 

You loved all of the sweet things about Valentine's Day, being there for each other, excuses for being super cheesy, and probably your favorite thing; buying the discounted chocolate with peter the day after. 

But too much PDA, or really, just the lack of affection and just plain lust in the school is what made you grossed out. 

You wished your mother a happy holiday with a quick peck on the cheek before grabbing a PopTart and leaving the apartment to head to school. 

Everything was pretty normal, you got there before the morning up as usual, but the sight before you made you stop in your tracks and stare. 

A single lavender rose was taped to you locker. Nothing else. Just the rose. 

Eyes wide open, you steppe forward and carefully took off the rose, inspecting it before peeling off the tape and taking a small sniff. 

"Woah! What's that?" Peter asked as he walked up to meet you at your locker like he usually does every morning. 

"Someone— someone left me a rose." You said with a small smile on your face, followed by a laugh of disbelief. 

"And you said you didn't have a date!" 

"I don't!" You chuckled back, opening your locker. 

"Well, it looks like _someone_ likes you." 

"I guess so." 

You hung your bookbag up after grabbing your things you needed for the day. Taking a second to thing about the rose, you tucked it safely in the water bottle pocket on the outside of your bag. You couldn't carry it around all day, and you were a little sad that the flower would wilt. 

You walked a little down the hall with Peter to his locker, and you brought the flower up in conversation with Ned when he met you. 

"No way! That's awesome!" A large smile appeared on his face. 

"You wouldn't happen to know who gave it to me, would you?" You zeroes in on Ned. With his sketchy behavior before, you had a strong feeling that he, and maybe Peter, knew. 

"If i did, I would totally tell you."" He said with a more serious look on his face. 

"All right." You said, although you weren't entirely sure that was the truth. "I just think it's weird that they didn't leave a note." 

"Maybe they're planing same thing else and will reveal themselves later?" Peter prompted with a shrug of his shoulders as he closed his locker. 

"I hope. You can't do something sweet like that and then just not even show who you are." Then the smile on your face faltered, and you scrunched up your nose and sighed. "I just feel bad for them." 

"What?" Peter and Ned said simultaneously, and Peter turned his head to look at you. 

"W-why?" Peter stammered out. 

"Because.." You sighed again. "Never mind, it's stupid anyway." You waved your hand to dismiss it and started walking towards to cafeteria. 

"You don't think," Peter gulped and whispered to Ned as the two boys watched you walk away. "You don't think she likes someone, do you?" Worry filling him for a hot second. 

"What? Nah man, I doubt it. She would've told us." Ned assured him the both of them walking to catch up with you, Peter close behind. 

Right before you all left for class, you remembered that you had things for your friends. 

"Here you go," You said, pulling out small gifts. "I forgot about these for a sec because of the rose." You smiled, handing both Peter and Ned a card. 

You drew both yourself, Ned's Star Wars with the words _"I like you almost as much as I hate sand."_ And a badly drawn picture of Anakin Skywalker on the inside, and Peter's was a mashup off a bunch of different stuff. You wouldn't admit you spent a little more time and effort on Peter's card. 

"These are amazing!" Ned exclaimed. "Now I feel bad I only got you a small cheesy valentine." He laughed. 

"These really are the best, Y/N." Peter smiled as he inspected his. it was drawings of all the things he loved and enjoyed doing, and when he opened it, he even found a hidden drawing of Spider-Man that was tucked away inside. 

"Glad you like them." You grabbed your things and stood up, gladly taking Ned's valentine and thanking him. "I worked hard on those, you know. Least you could've done was to get me something Peter," You laughed, not really meaning it.

"Yeah, I should've." He laughed nervously and played it off thee best he could. In his head, he was cursing himself, because that would've been a better cover, making him less suspicious than he already was. "Ready to go?" 

"I suppose." This is where the three of you parted ways, all having different first periods, but Peter always walked you to your class first, since his was right down the hall. 

Everything was a normal Valentine's Day at Midtown High you thought, at least until you got to lunch. 

'How'd you get here before us?" You asked Ned as you and Peter walked up to your table to see your friend already sitting down with his food. 

"Uh, class let out early." He lies with a shrug, and it luckily looked believable. 

"That's weird." You placed your things down and glanced at Peter, who just shrugged as well, and the two of you went to wait in line for your lunch. 

Why Ned was there early, was so he had time to go to Peter's locker, and then plead with Michelle to play along. 

You were laughing with Peter as you were walking back, food in hand. You stopped laughing, but your smile remained as you spotted the blue rose on the table next to your binder. 

"Ned," You started, sitting down slowly. "Where did this come from?" 

"I dunno," Ned said quickly. "Some guy ran and placed it down before running off again. I tried to see who it was but I couldn't." 

You chuckled softly. "I can't believe this." You picked up the rose, inspecting it just as you did with the lavender one. "Hey M.J.," 

"Sup?" Michelle nodded her head in acknowledgment, although she didn't look up from her book. 

"Did you see who dropped this off?"

Yes. She did in fact, watch as Ned pulled the rose out from under the table and place it down next to your things. She looked up and saw Ned and Peter staring nervously at her, you not seeing their expressions because the three of you were pointed in the same direction. She promised she would help. "Nah. I didn't notice until he bumped into me running away and I had to reread my page." She said nonchalantly. 

"Okay." You squinted at your friends. Peter had already started eating, to keep himself from slipping up, but Ned was a little nervous he would say something he wasn't supposed to. 

You had a way of finding out secrets really quickly if you wanted too. You knew when your closest friends were lying, and exactly how to get them to crack. And they definitely were now. 

Carrying the rose with your until you had the chance to go back to your locker, possibilities started running through your head. As well as the creeping feeling of sadness. 

You didn't know how to tell the person that as much as you loved the roses, something like this never happening to you before, that you couldn't feel the same way towards them. You were already in love with someone. 

You were already in love with Peter. 

The rest of the day was rose free until you found another one taped to your locker just like that morning, a yellow rose, when ninth period ended. 

"What's that?" You asked Peter as you looked at his bookbag. It looked fuller than normal, and you noticed. That was because he had a container in there with three more roses to keep them safe from being squashed. 

"My bag? Oh, I'm just bringing my chemistry book to study over the weekend. And my skates are in there too." He tried to hide his lying the best he could. He wasn't expecting you to ask, and you were one of the only people he never could lie too. There was a good reason why. 

"You don't need to study Peter, we all know you're probably one of the smartest people in this school."

"Never hurts."You hadn't brought up the latest rose, so Peter had to do his best to not bring it up as he saw you had it with the other two.

You and Peter weren't doing your normal after school schedule today, because of your plans. Instead, you met with Ned, and together, the three of you started your journey to Bryant Park. 

Leaving your bags in a safe spot, you laced up your skates and set out to make fools of yourselves. 

"Come on! This year, you'll set a new record for falling the least, I'm sure!" Peter called out to you, who was still on the edge of the rink, trying to remember how to skate, while Peter was a couple feet in front of you. 

"It's not as easy as that!" You called back, standing up straight and balancing yourself. 

"Watch, as the baby gazelle takes her first steps," Ned straddled commentating and laughing. 

"Shut up Leeds, or I _will_ learn necromancy." You shot back with a warning glare. 

"Okay Y/N, you can do this. We've had years of practice." 

With a deep breath, you pushed forward. Wobbling a little at first, you quickly steadied yourself. You let out a cheer as you almost made it to Peter, but you jinxed yourself, and you stumbled forward. 

Peter was quick to catch you and made sure you stayed upright, and then the three of you started to laugh. "Look at that. Already better." 

"Whatever you say, Arachnikid." 

"Don't call me that!" Peter groaned but couldn't hide the smile on his face as you locked arms with him and Ned, sandwiching yourself in the middle of them as you started to lap around the rink. 

"When it stops being funny, I will."

After a while of skating, Peter excused himself to the bathroom, saying he had to go before they left, telling Ned and you to finish up the lap and he'll meet them at their stuff. 

He was smart this time, and had it planned out. He went to their bags, and took out the next rose; a light pink one, and placed it on top of your backpack. He hoped no one would take it, and then quickly unstrapped his skates and running full speed to the bathroom, skates over his shoulder. 

"No way," you breathed when you and Ned got back to your bags. "Looks like this guy is a stalker as well." You sat down and kept your eyes on the light pink rose as you took off your skates and slipped your sneakers back on. 

"I don't think he's a stalker," Ned said casually, putting his skates back in his bag. 

"Well, how else would he be?" You laughed as a joke, but then cut yourself off when a thought popped into your head, and your eyes flickered over to Peters bag. "Okay, maybe not a stalker." You smiled and agreed with Ned. 

You sat on the bench, bookbag on your back, but you had taken out the three other roses, now holding all four in your hands. 

"Sorry guys, the line was super long!" Peter said as he halted to a stop after jogging back to his friends. A smile made it's way onto his face when he saw you. "Another rose, huh?" He grabbed his back, carefully putting his ice skates away, and then tugging on his sneakers. 

"Yeah. Another rose." You met Peters eyes for a second before Ned spoke. 

"Ready to go?" 

"Yeah." 

"Sure."

The three of you walked together, joking around and having a good time before they all got to Ned's house, dropping him off first because he was the closest. His mom had met you at the door, and ushered them all in, wanting them to warm up before heading back out into the cold. 

You and Peter spent a good twenty minutes there, and just as you were about to leave, Ned pulled you back. 

"I'll meet you outside, yeah?" Peter told her as he said goodbye to the Leeds and walked out of the front door. 

"What's up?" You asked. 

"You're right." He stated. 

Your eyebrows turned down from confusion. "I'm right about... what?"

"Oh! Yeah, I know who's been leaving you the roses." 

Your eyes widened from excitement, although you already had your suspicions. 

"It's not really my part to tell you, but I do have—" he turned around and grabbed another rose off of the couch that you somehow didn't see. "This is for you. From him, of course." You took the rose, burgundy this time, from Ned, and glanced between him and the new rose. 

Smiling, you began to talk again. "You guys are terrible liars, you know that?" You asked Ned. 

"Yeah." He scoffed. "You know?" 

"98% sure." You grinned before hugging your friend goodbye and meeting Peter outside. 

You were sure Peter had been rehearsing this part, because when you met him outside, he turned around as if perfectly on cue, and his eyes widened from shock and a smile appeared on his face. "Ned's the mastermind behind the roses?" He asked, motioning to the new addition you were holding. 

"He's the guy in the chair." You said cooly. That simple sentence evidence enough to convince Peter you already knew it was him. 

A wave of relief rolled over the two of you at the same time as you smiled at each other, and started walking down the street. Peter because his best friend didn't hate him, and you because Peter was the one doing all of this.

"This isn't the way home," you said as Peter led you left instead of right. 

"I know," 

After a couple more minutes of walking, the two of you arrived at Central Park. The sun was getting low and it cast the most beautiful colors over the park, contrasting with the white snow. 

Peter smiled over at you before reaching over and intertwining his fingers with yours. 

You walked in a comfortable silence the park. You let Peter guide you until the two of you stopped in the center of Bow Bridge. Your mind was racing with thoughts, trying to guess what was going to happen next. 

You were surprised to see that not many other people were there, considering it was a pretty romantic place and it was the so called most romantic day of the year. 

"So," Peter was the one to first break the silence. "I got you something." 

You laughed. "I'd say that's an understatement." Peter gently let go of your hand and slipped off his bag. 

"Well, this is the last thing." He opened his bag and pulled out one last rose. "Happy Valentine's Day, Y/N." 

He held the red rose in front of him and he watched you with a nervous smile. 

You softly dropped your bag to the ground as well and held onto the rose's stem with one hand and grabbed Peter's hand with the other. 

"I can't believe this," You whispered with a smile. 

"In a good or bad way?" 

"Good! Oh, this is so good." You beamed to him as his nerves calmed and he grinned. 

"I'm so happy you said that, because I really didn't want to have to go to Plan B, which was a really crappy explanation that this was all completely platonic," You shook your head, laughing quietly, before looking up and meeting Peter's eyes. 

Reluctantly, you broke eye contact, but you had to know. You reached down and grabbed the other five roses, holding all six in your hands together. 

"How'd you come up with this?" You asked. 

"Well," The two of you turned to face the frozen water underneath you. "I just found out like a week ago that every single color flower has a different meaning to it, including roses." He reached and grabbed the lavender one. "A little cheesy, but this means love at first sight. I guess that's pretty self explanatory." He grabbed the next one. "The blue means mystery and intrigue. No mater what you do, you never cease to keep me asking questions." 

He continued to pick up the different color roses as he explained them. "Yellow means friendship. I honestly feel like friendship is one of the most important things in a relationship, and the two of us already have a special bond, I couldn't really ask for more. Pink is admiration. I've always admired you from the very start. Your courage, stubbornness, everything. Now, burgundy isn't very known, but it means something like unconscious beauty. You're sos beautiful, you know that? Not just because of how you look, but because of all the things I admire about you, as well as the things you hate about yourself. Everything about you is beautiful, and I wanted you to know that's what I believe." 

He stopped before taking the last rose back. You were silently listening to every word coming out of Peters mouth, watching as his face and eyes lighted up as he talked about you. 

"A red rose. Probably the most cliche, overused rose of them all." You laughed. "You already know what it stands for." He took a deep breath before giving the flowers back to you. You grasped your hands around Peters instead of taking them back, the roses in between the both of your hands and he continued to talk. "I love you Y/N. I really do. So much, that I couldn't help but to do one of these things. I had to. I had to draw this out, take you here. Although, I definitely would've said it anywhere at anytime. I guess Valentine's Day just gave me the confidence." He raised his right hand and brought it up to cup your face. "You're the one for me, Y/N," 

"I love you too Peter," You grinned and closed your eyes as you brought up your hand to hold his against your cheek, like he was going to pull away. 

"You do?" 

You opened your eyes. "I really do." 

"I think this is the best day of my life." He said quietly, leaning forward to rest his forehead on yours, careful not to squish the roses between you. It was silent as the both of you were enjoying the moment. "Can I— can I kiss you?" He muttered softly, not wanting to ruin anything. 

"Yeah," You whispered back. 

Peter pulled back, but only for a second, before closing the gap between you by softly pressing his lips to yours. The two of you had tried to fight to urge to smile, but ultimately failed, resulting in you separating and laughing. 

You carefully moved your hands and wrapped them around your neck, holding the roses behind his head. You felt Peters hands drop and grab your waist as you kissed him again. 

"We're still on for movie night, right?" You asked with a small giggle as Peter lifted you up and spun you a little, a large smile stretching his lips. 

"Of course. Maybe I'll cook for you." 

"I don't think burning the place down is the best way to end this day so let's just stick with the junk food." You laughed softly and Peter shook his head. 

"I would totally save you, but as long as I'm there with you, I don't care." He hummed, and after a couple of more minutes, you headed back to your apartment. 

Around ten-thirty, your mom came back home to find you and peter cuddled up together under an large blanket on the couch, the credits of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory rolling on the television. 

She shook her head and smiled at the two of you before snapping a picture of the two of you, and being as quiet as she could, turning off the T.V. and getting a pillow for you for when you eventually shift to a laying position. 

She sent the picture to May with the caption _"think they kissed?"_ And smiled as May replied with an _"Of course"_ and just double checked it was okay for Peter to spend the night before going to bed herself. 

And on the table in front of you and Peter, were the six different colored roses in a small glass vase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said I was planning on slowing down my update schedule? Well, here is the official notice: 
> 
> Thursday’s and Monday’s are going to be my new update days (weird weekdays, right?) for the time being, while I work on His Warrior Angel and another series I’m plan will have its chance to see the light of day ;) 
> 
> Quick note for ebionio: your latest request should be up Monday, if not then, definitely next Thursday!


	27. The Secret of Spider-Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You would say you trusted Peter any day. He had never lied to you before, you liked to think it was because you hadn't given him a reason to, and neither have you. You knew he must've thought of something, and knowing Peter, he was going to stick to his plan unless something derailed or discouraged him. You just hoped he knew what he was doing, whatever it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I was actually really busy today and it shocked me as much as anything has shocked me before, but here I am with the late update. I didn't forget!
> 
> Here you go ebionio! You might want to wait to get somewhere cozy to read this one, because, well, I got *really* carried away fleshing this chapter out. Anyone in their right mind probably would've split it and turned it into a 5-part (potentially 7 depending on how you look at it) series. 
> 
> Um, what else? I suck at chapter names, so if anyone has a better idea for this one because I actually don't like it very much, I will take suggestions. 
> 
> There's like two curse words. Not sure if anyone cares, but I told you.

**September 9th, 2015**

Midtown School of Science and Technology seemed to be much larger and intimidating than you remember from 9th grade orientation just a couple months ago in July. Today was the first day of school—the first day of _high school—_ and to say you were nervous was an understatement. You couldn't stop moving, even as you stood still six yards away from the front stairs of the school.

You were staring anxiously at the large doors in front of you, bouncing on your heels, blinking more times than you needed too. Both of your hands wrung around the plastic water bottle you held, repeatedly twisting the cap on and off as you told yourself to take calming breaths. You were only going to school. You had done it for ten years before today, it shouldn't be any different than middle or elementary school. But having the title of _freshman_ just seemed to ring differently in your head. When you walk through those doors, you would officially be a freshman in high school. New school year. New title. New people.

New you? Still a decision in progress.

Looking around, squinting to shield your eyes from the hot sun, you could see most of the students swarming around you had already been in high school, entering the building unafraid and meeting up with their friends. You could spot those few freshmen, the ones just as nervous as you were, doing the same exact thing as you; standing and working up the courage to move forward. Your eyes fell onto a boy a couple feet away from you, but you couldn't look at him long. The fact that he was wearing glasses was all you could figure out before those very glasses reflected the sunlight directly into your eyes, nearly blinding you, when he shifted his stance.

You closed your eyes to help with the dull pain for a minute before you took a deep breath.

"Here we go," you muttered softly to yourself, willing your legs and feet to move forward. You kept your eyes focused ahead on the wide open doors, peering into the main hall as you were nearing the stairs.

A confident smile began to work into your features as your courage grew enough to mask your nervousness. Just barely, but it was enough to get you moving. The crowd became more dense the closer you got to the stairs, and you tried your hardest not to bump into anyone as you tried to weave through the sea of students all moving in the same direction. But although you tried, that didn't stop others from not caring.

You faintly heard a shout—a heads up—to your left, but you were too distracted to notice. Before you knew it, you felt a body collide into your side. Your smile disappeared in an instant as you felt yourself lose balance and start to fall. A small yelp escaped your lips when you came into contact with something a lot sooner than you thought you would. Instead of the hard pavement, you had crashed into someone else. The heavy weight of notebooks, binders, and loose leaf paper in your backpack didn't help your body as you tried to catch yourself before you fell completely, and instead was the cause of you fully bringing both you, and the person you had bumped into, tumbling to the ground.

"Ow," the voice wasn't yours, but the boy you had landed on top of. You slowly opened your eyes, both at the sound of his pain and the laughing that was coming from your side. Your head snapped in the direction of the mockery to see what looked like had to be a junior or senior student, a football clutched in his hands, before he just continued to move on, his friend—presumably the one who threw the ball—jogging to his side and the both of them continuing on. Not giving you a second glance.

Your attention focused back to the boy you were laying on. Your bottle was in one hand, your knuckles white from holding tight from fear. Your other arm was on the ground next to his head, your forearm had landed harshly against the pavement, pain blossoming gradually. You were on your knees, one of them in between his legs and was dangerously close to crushing something you were sure he wouldn't have appreciated if you had landed just an inch higher.

You felt your heart thumping against your ribs and you were momentarily stunned when you realized your face was hovering just a few inches above his. He was wearing glasses like the boy you had just seen a minute ago, and you wondered what the chances were. You were lucky you didn't break them and that your arms had broken your fall, or else you weren't too sure what you would do. Behind the lenses, two bright brown eyes opened, darkened by your shadow looming overhead, and you found yourself staring right into them. Your mind went blank and you forgot how to move, but once you remembered how to work your body again, you were quick to clamor off of him, not yet standing up though.

"Holy shit, I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed quickly, your stomach beginning to churn from embarrassment, holding your hand out to help him sit up. You knew it sounded cheesy in your head, but you would be lying if you didn't admit you felt a jolt of electricity run up your arm when he grabbed your hand and accepted your help.

He let out a soft groan of exertion as he sat up, and you noticed no one around you seemed to even care or try to help, just deviating from their route to curve around your bodies and continuing forward. "It's okay, it wasn't your fault," he told you, his voice had a hint of pain in it, only being backed when his hand rose to rub the back of his head and he let out a quiet wince, squinting at you through one eye.

"Are you— are you okay?" You asked sympathetically. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to bring you down with me."

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Then to your surprise, a small smile appeared on his face. Your heart was just starting to calm down, but the sight of that smile—on the face of a stranger no less—made the muscle begin to beat even faster than it just was and blood started to rush to your face. "I think my bag absorbed most of the impact. Are you okay? It looks like you're bleeding."

"Am I—? Me—?" You had trouble getting your words out, so you just opted to keep your mouth shut as you inspected your arm. You were in fact bleeding, but it wasn't too bad. Just a small scrape, just shy of being road rash. It hurt like hell though, stinging to the touch as you hesitantly pressed a finger near the wound. "Well that's inconvenient," you frowned, your head shooting back up when the boy chuckled at your words. The sound made your heart flutter again and the embarrassment that was set in your stomach morphed back to nervousness. For a different reason this time—the reason being the really cute boy with glasses just a foot away from you. The one you bowled over.

What a way to meet someone you felt yourself forming a small crush on.

"Here, let me he—" you watched as he began to stand, but in the process, he knocked over your water bottle and panic cast over his face as the cap popped off and water poured out, soaking the sidewalk. "Oh no! I'm sorry!" He said immediately, dropping back down, and the both of you reached to pull the bottle back upright. You got to it first, so he picked up the cap that had rolled a little bit away, an apologetic frown on his lips when he noticed it had a crack up the side. "Um, I'll pay for a new one, I-if you'd like." He offered, but you just shook your head.

"It's okay. I got it in a two for two pack anyway, it was cheap and bound to happen sooner or later." You assured him, a sheepish smile appearing on your face.

"What a first day, huh?" He asked rhetorically and you chuckled dryly in agreement as he offered his hand to help you up. The both of you stood up, your now half empty bottle in your hands again, and the air between the two of you quickly became a less manageable awkward, and a silence ensued as neither of you knew what to say. "Uh—you should go to the nurse." Suddenly, he gestured between the two of you. "At— at least let me walk you there."

You were flattered by the niceties he continued to show, despite you being the one who should have been spewing apologies like a running faucet. It wasn't everyday you met someone as good natured and forgiving as he seemed to be. You nodded your head and only after a moment did you realize the word never actually came out. "Sure." You hastily added before the silence became too long, fixing the off centered bag on your back.

This time you both shared a smile, the first one that felt comfortable and not apologetic or awkward, as the boy pushed his glasses up higher onto the bridge of his nose. You waited until it was safe to walk, and together, the both of you reached the stairs of the school and stepped over the threshold. Simultaneously, you and the boy stopped and took a moment to turn around and take in the sights. The mixture of students—equally rushing to put their belongings in lockers and hanging with their friends in groups—and teachers filled the halls. Constant motion all around you. Posters were plastered everywhere, reading, "Welcome Students to School Year 2015-2016" and the occasional already advertising different clubs and extracurriculars the school had to offer.

"Woah," both you and the boy breathed out, exchanging a glance with each other.

"Oh! I'm Peter by the way," your gaze fell to his hand, outstretched for a second time in greeting. "I feel like after all we've been through together, you should know," he joked and you laughed as you shook his hand.

"Hi Peter." His name felt different to say—in a good way. "I'm Y/N," you tell him. "Nice to meet you."

"You too Y/N." Then he let out a nervous chuckle. "Um, if you can't tell, this is my first year here and I have _no_ idea where the nurses office is," he told you honestly.

"Me either." You scanned the lobby again, looking for any indicators of your destination. "I think it's over there?" You prompted, bringing Peter's attention to a sign with a large white cross hanging above the door. And unless the universal sign for the nurses office changed over the summer you weren't in school, you were fairly certain that was it.

"Right. Um, well," Peter gestured with his head for you to follow him, and so you did.

Opening the door, you were hit with with a wave of cool air, significantly better than the hot, busy lobby. You and Peter walked in, and you found yourself staring at him as he took a first look at the place. The possibility of forming a crush on him the first day of school becoming reality you couldn't ignore. You teared your eyes away from him and faced the nurse that had walked in from the door across the room. He must've heard the door open and close.

"First patients of the year and the day hasn't even started?" He asked with a short laugh. "Are you kids okay?"

"Y-yeah." Peter answered before you did. "We just fell outside, and-and Y/N scraped her arm," you raised your arm to show the nurse. It was a clunky, almost robotic movement.

"It's nothing bad," you said. "Just figured it should get cleaned." You spoke quietly. You wondered why Peter didn't say anything about his head, you thought that might have been a more serious injury than your arm.

"Well that doesn't sound like it was fun," The nurse smiled and ushered you into the other room, Peter following behind you. "I'll get you patched up real quick. Still looks like you have stuff to do before the bell rings." You smiled gratefully as the nurse sat down at a desk and then he asked you your name to enter the incident into the system.

"Y/N Y/L/N." You answered, seeing out of the corner of your eye Peter take in the new information. You mumbled a quiet "could you hold this please?" to Peter as the nurse moved in front of you with a alcohol wipe, holding out your water bottle for him to take. You were surprised he decided to stay, gently grabbing your broken bottle from your hand and patiently waiting as the nurse quickly cleaned your arm. There wasn't any real need for a bandage, since it was already starting to heal. You had said it wasn't a bad cut.

"You're free to go." The nurse smiled and you stood back up from the chair he had you seated in. "I hope you have a great rest of the day!"

"Thank you," you tell him, Peter parroting your words and actions as you waved goodbye and left the nurses office to emerge back out into the emptying main lobby.

You let out a breath before you noticed the time on the TV on the wall, realizing it was only five minutes before the first bell of the day and your eyes widened. You didn't want to be late on your first day. You didn't even have the faintest idea of how to get to your home room class, and you still had to find your locker. Peter seemed to sense your panic, noticing the same thing at the same time and he tapped your hand tog et your attention; you were a little ashamed to realize that you had to fight the instinct to grab his hand when he did so.

"Our lockers should be on the same floor, right? We can help each other find them, come on." He told you encouragingly. You smiled at him as he pushed up his glasses again and the both of you started your trek to the third floor where the freshman lockers were located.

You were happy to find out that both of your lockers were in the same hallway, only a couple apart. The both of you rushed to lighten your load on your backs and only take what you think you would need for the day—which of course would change. You couldn't help but to feel sad when the first warning bell went off and you and Peter had to part ways because of separate homerooms. You had so many questions you wanted to ask him, like what his schedule was, or his last name, or if he wanted to be friends.

"Hey Y/N!" You heard Peter call your name and you turned around. Maybe a little too quickly, but you didn't care. You were already moving fast, so you were hoping it didn't seem like anything else.

"Yeah?" You called back, ignoring the curious glances from the people in the hallway.

"If you see me at lunch, come sit with me!" He told you with a large smile, one that, after you felt your heart speed up again, you returned.

"I will!" You replied before waving, seeing him wave back before the two of you turned and went your opposite directions to start the school year.

**January 25th, 2016**

The first thing you noticed when you shut your locker in the morning was that Peter wasn't behind the door like he normally was, attempting to scare you, and never succeeding after he had made it routine same time every day. Your smile faded and your eyebrows creased from confusion.

Peering past the students between yours and Peter's lockers, you searched in the direction of his. Usually you were the one who took the longest before Peter dropped you off at your home room (something he had also started after he found a shortcut to his, and you didn't mind in the slightest), but today, you saw Peter at his locker. It looked like he was struggling to pull his hand out. It was like it was stuck. That was weird, and this was Peter you were talking about.

You held onto your bag as you walked over. Right before you had reached his side, he pulled his hand out and relief crossed his face. His face...you noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses. That was something else that confused you, because you remember a conversation not even a month ago that Peter had told you he was nearly blind without them. You wondered if over the weekend he had gotten contact lenses.

"What's up, Pete?" You greeted, holding in a laugh when the boy in front of you jumped from surprise, turning towards you with such a speed you would think he was training to be a ninja.

"Hey Y/N." Something was...off. Looking at Peter, you don't remember him being this tall on Friday at the field trip to OsCorp. But then again, maybe he just had a major growth spurt. The both of you were only fourteen, and still growing. Anyway, he had shot up at least two inches—maybe three.

You were never one to blatantly stare at Peter while he was right there in front of you, but as you were doing a once over of the boy to see if you could spot any more changes to add to the two you had just noticed, your eyes subconsciously—okay, maybe consciously—lingered on his chest and arms. His face was a little blurry, as it wasn't your main focus at the moment, but you could feel his eyes watching you and the rose colored blush begin to creep up his neck. There was no mistaking the muscle mass Peter seemingly contracted in the span of two days; his shirt was probably a size smaller than it should be, and that was the biggest shirt you thought he had owned, seeing it on him before and it was decently baggy. Maybe you overlooked his height on Friday, but you were certain he was a lot leaner than the boy in front of you then.

You felt your own face begin to flush at the sound of Peter's voice, ripping you out of your thoughts. "Is...something wrong?" The question was hesitant, and Peter seemed to shrink into himself in attempts to make himself look smaller. There was no way he didn't notice what you had noticed, and now he was unsuccessfully trying to hide it.

As much as you wanted to bombard him with questions, you got the feeling maybe you shouldn't. He obviously knew he was different, you would be super surprised if he didn't. You knew Peter could be dense at times, witnessing a couple of conversations with multiple hints he never seemed to pick up on firsthand over the almost five months you've known him, but a change like this was something he definitely would know happened. "No! No, you just..." you pressed your lips into a thin line as you tried to think of the right words to say. "You look...different?" You cringed, knowing you probably could've come up with a better phrase.

"Yeah?" Peter said softly, as if he didn't already know, closing his locker and slinging his bookbag over his shoulder. "...how?" He asked hesitantly.

"No glasses!" You blurted. "It changes your entire face Pete," you forced a laugh which thankfully sounded natural enough, trying to steer the mood away from becoming awkward and tense the hardest you could.

"Does it?" He looked relived again, turning to walk by your side as the both of you started down the hallway, talking just loud enough for each other to hear. "Do I look a little less dorky? I think I do."

You snorted. "Sure you do, but that doesn't change the fact that _you're_ a giant dork. Glasses or no glasses won't change that." You tell him, and he playfully pushed into you as he laughed softly.

"I'm not _trying_ to change." You couldn't stop the thought of maybe he was lying. Maybe he was trying to change. There had to be a reason; no one just changed their entire appearance for no reason. "And there's no way I'm gonna _stop_ being a dork." He rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face told you he had no hard feelings. "For real though, how do I look?"

That question was treading on dangerous waters. What would happen if you answered truthfully? Would you be able to keep a reign on yourself and not come off as creepy? You had always found Peter attractive from the start, and now.... But you also knew couldn't lie to him either. You might not have been capable of doing that.

"You look good, Peter." You wound up saying, keeping your voice as indifferent but also supportive as you could. You wondered why he asked you of all people that question, and your mind foolishly started to race with thoughts like _"does he like me too?"_

You hadn't thought about admitting your feelings for Peter anytime soon, and for good reason. After you met him the first day of school, the relationship between you and Peter bloomed into a beautiful and easy friendship. It was so natural for you to be yourself around him, even if at times he catches you off guard and you have to scramble to pretend he wasn't the sole person occupying your thoughts. Rapidly, Peter became one of the best friends you've ever had, and you never wanted to give that up for the world. And if there was even a chance that telling him about the romantic feelings you harbored would endanger that friendship, you would keep them to yourself.

There was another one that pained you to admit. That being, someone else already unknowingly had his heart. Of course he didn't like you like _that_. As far as you knew, he wasn't anywhere near the stage where his crush began to fizzle out. And sadly, neither were you. You had no reason to be jealous before, you never really were that type, and you were hoping that there wouldn't be one now. You'd learned about Peter's crush on a girl named Katy Weekes about a week into school, when he had spotted her in the halls and complete froze up as you, him and Ned (who was also his friend from years before, and he had introduced you too) were walking in the halls after 9th period to the busses outside. You were confused at the time, but Ned quickly filled you in and pointed her out, making Peter go bright red and try to hide behind you as she got closer. He had squeaked out a "hi", but she didn't even spare him a glance.

Maybe she was his reason. You frowned at the thought.

Since then, Peter's told you they'd had brief conversations, since they're in the same Algebra class together, but he had gotten nowhere in attempts. Every once in a while, he would ask you for advice, and as his friend, you gave your best to him.

"Something on your mind?" You asked Peter after the both of you fell into a silent walk, one that was normally filled with playful banter.

"Hm?" His gaze turned toward you and he shook his head. "Nothing really. Just thinking about a project I'm thinking about starting." You raised an eyebrow. He had looked like his mind was in a different place, some far away imagination land.

"That sounds fun. What is it?" You asked, and you noticed you were getting closer to your home room.

"Um, it's nothing special." He said dismissively. "On a completely unrelated note, do you have any like, plastic containers you don't use?"

You scrunched you your nose in while you thought about it. "Like, food containers, or just like anything?"

"Anything, it doesn't matter. I'm just gonna melt it down and mold it anyway," he said causally, but once his words left his mouth, you saw his eyes widen like he said something he shouldn't have. Did he not want you asking questions?

"Oh. Okay, I'd have to check when I get home." You tell him and the both of you stop a foot away from the classroom door. "Is there a chance I'll find out about this mystery project? You playing with fire seems like you might have to be supervised." You joked and Peter cracked a smile.

"Um, may-maybe. I wanna think about it some more."

"Okay." You suppressed your curiosity as much as you still wanted to pry. Peter had a right to keep secrets of his own, it wasn't like the two of you were at the level of friendship where you kept nothing from the other yet. Even so, people were allowed to keep secrets. "See you and Ned at lunch?"

"You bet."

You smiled and gave Peter a mock salute before you turned around, saying a soft "bye" and walking into class. You wouldn't see him again until lunch, the only period the both of you shared in your contrasting schedules.

There was something about... _all_ of that...that made you think something was off. Something was definitely off. While Peter wasn't _weak_ before, he didn't look like he suddenly started lifting weights and the results that would come gradually just appeared overnight. His height and his eyesight, both of those things had a plausible reason behind them. Puberty was wild and uncontrollable, and even if you hadn't heard Peter talking about it before, his aunt and uncle could have totally brought him to get prescription contacts.

It was unnatural, not that you were complaining. Something had to have happened to him, and either he didn't know, or he was keeping it a secret. Peter must've known people would probably ask questions. Did he actually have any answers prepared for them?

You would say you trusted Peter any day. He had never lied to you before, you liked to think it was because you hadn't given him a reason to, and neither have you. You knew he must've thought of something, and knowing Peter, he was going to stick to his plan unless something derailed or discouraged him. You just hoped he knew what he was doing, whatever it was.

**March 11, 2016**

"Y/N? You there?" The sound of Ned's voice coming from your open laptop made you push off the wall of your bedroom and swivel around in your chair so you were facing the camera again, giving a quick apologetic smile to the screen with Peter and Ned's moving faces on it.

"I'm here. Just finishing up some homework." You told them, hopping out of your chair and giving it a light push to roll to your desk as you flopped down on your bed with a leg crossed underneath you where your laptop was open with the video call, pulling the machine onto your lap.

""I swear, it's like you have more work than the both of us combined." Peter laughs and you just shook your head.

"Nah, I'm just the queen of procrastination on weekdays and laziness on weekends." You said with a lopsided grin. "So, what was so urgent that you needed this call?" Your question was directed towards Ned, who looked like he was about to burst from excitement.

"Did you guys see the new superhero in New York?" He asked quickly. "His videos are all over YouTube! He's calling himself the Spider-Man!"

"What?" You asked, utterly confused. Your eyes glanced over to Peter, and a look of surprise was on his face as well, but you couldn't help but to feel there was something off about it, like he already knew but was playing along as he shook his head no.

"Just look him up! He's gone viral in like, the past three days." You grabbed your phone and listened as Ned kept going on about this new hero. How he gets around by swinging off of buildings with webs, and about how he can stop 3,000 pound cars from crashing with ease.

"Huh," you said after watching the first video that popped up, the one Ned was talking about this guy catching a car and saving a bus full of kids.

"Huh?" Your head turned back to the screen and you saw both Ned and Peter's expressions were the same. "Only 'huh'? This dude's amazing!" Ned exclaimed

"Yeah!" Peter agreed, seemingly holding back a laugh.

"I'm not saying he isn't," you started to roll your eyes, but stopped when they landed on Peter and instead began to narrow in his direction. It was like pieces were starting to fall into place. Not all at once—you had just been handed the first, singular middle piece to add to the border of the puzzle you had started a couple of months ago. "Just surprised. Like, really surprised." You paused. "But also, I was kinda expecting it."

"Elaborate?" Peter asked, an uneasy expression forming on his face.

"What he said."

You shrugged. "I mean, with The Avengers having been a thing, superheroes are real and protecting New York and the world, I would think it would've only been a matter of time before people either tried to become one themselves, or people with powers came out of hiding." Or perhaps even both. "I know I really wanted to be a superhero for a while. Still do I guess."Then you smiled. "He does seem really cool though."

The amount of times you've seen Peter look relieved over what should have been trivial things that shouldn't have applied to him has almost quadrupled in the late two months. Including today and just now.

It wouldn't be such a wild guess to think Peter might have been this Spider-Man guy on the internet. The clues were starting to add up. The last couple of weeks, Peter would cancel plans last minute, with not just you but everybody you talked to that knew him. Study sessions with you and Ned, movie nights, Ned was even telling you about how he was showing up to less and less marching band practices after school. Each time he didn't show up, he spouted out another semi-believable yet equally ridiculous excuse.

The group of you have always had a fascination for superheroes. What kid didn't? And over time, you've learned that Peter especially idolized Iron Man. He told you a story about how when he was nine, his aunt and uncle had brought him to the Stark Expo that year. To their luck, it had happened to be the year the Expo had gotten attacked by military robots controlled by a Russian engineer looking to get revenge and Peter would have almost died if it wasn't for Iron Man showing up. Peter had laughed and said that at the time, he had thought he was the one who blasted the bot with his makeshift outfit. And then Iron Man himself gave him praise. Basically making his biggest dream come true, before May and Ben found him and rushed him out of there.

Some days you saw him in school, he would move and stifle a wince of pain, or sport a black eye or other bruises, to which he would all blame on his clumsiness. You would've believed that maybe _before_ he changed so drastically, but now it seemed like everything was pointing in the same direction; to a giant flashing neon sign that read 'Peter Parker is Spider-Man'.

"Earth to Y/N!" You heard Peter's voice nearly shout and you quickly stared back at the video screen. You must've been in your head longer than you thought. "What're you thinking about?" He then asked with a chuckle.

"We were just having a full blown conversation and realized that you gave no input at all. Found you daydreaming over there." Ned then paused. "It's not girl stuff, is it?"

"What?" You laughed. "No, I was just thinking."

"About what?" Peter asked, tilting his head to the side and smiling at you through the screen. That smile had to be one of your greatest weaknesses by now.

"Yeah, about what?"

You glanced at Peter before focusing on a blank space where you weren't staring at either of them. "Nothing. It's stupid." You lied. "Anyway, what were you guys talking about?"

You listened as Peter and Ned quickly recapped their brief exchange on where Spider-Man now ranked on the coolest superhero list, giving your thoughts based off the one video you saw.

Of course there was the chance that you were being completely mental and Peter really was telling the truth. Maybe he truly had made promises to dogsit for one of his neighbors, or he had already made plans with May to spend a night in. His random injuries were because he really was just clumsy.

After the call ended, you continued to search Spider-Man videos and watch the majority. In the end, most of them centered around ten different events—and in each of them, Spider-Man was helping or saving someone or other. They went back to mid-February. Ten different events. Peter had only cancelled three weekday plans in total, and shown up late to two. While that could be proof that this masked hero _wasn't_ him, there was anything to prove that he didn't go out on weekends or days no one had made plans with him. You were even having a harder time believing that anyone other than Peter could've been Spider-Man, especially when the dates on the videos were either uploaded on the exact day of some plans, or a day or two after. That was too much to be a coincidence.

You realized that this revelation would most likely be better if you didn't flat out ask Peter if it was him, the brightly colored, onesie wearing, masked vigilante, swinging around in the sky stories above the New York City streets. Because if it wasn't, then that might lead to an awkward situation. But if it was...you would be invading his decision to tell you.

You came to the conclusion that you wouldn't pry into it, ask any questions in hopes to get answers, but you would pay attention. You wouldn't actively try and look for clues that Peter had a secret alter ego, but if hints started to get fed in your direction, you would gladly pick them up. You figured that if Peter was the Spider-Man, he might not believe he was comfortable with sharing that information with you. While the thought began to make your heart heavy in your chest, you also thought about it with a rational mind; you had only known Peter seven months now, you wouldn't be the first person he would tell. Those people would probably be May or Ned, who he's known longer.

You had to show that you respected him and his decisions to share what could be life changing information. Especially now so because he's been through a lot in the span of two months, heartbreak and guilt....You wanted to give him time. And maybe, when the time is right, the day would come when you would find out everything. If there even was anything to share.

**June 27, 2016**

"Hey man," you greeted Peter as you closed your locker, the boy leaning against the ones next to yours with a wide smile. "How was the internship retreat?" You asked immediately, seeing his smile widen even more and he stood up straighter as you got a more secure grip on your school things.

"It was so cool Y/N!" He breathed out, and you could see memories flash through his mind as his eyes sparkled brighter. "You should've been there. I fought—" you glanced sideways at him as he cut himself off abruptly, clearing his throat.

What you were sure of was that you already knew he fought someone. The fading yellow bruise around his right eye was only further proof. Peter still hadn't told you about Spider-Man yet, and you were okay with it. You were nearly 100% he was the hero after all. When he called you and Ned Thursday night and excitedly told the two of you about Tony Stark himself coming to his apartment and told him he got accepted into an internship neither of you knew he applied for, it was only more clues to further your hypothesis. And the "initiation retreat" with Tony Stark only added to it, especially when on the news Saturday night it was all over the news about The Avengers fighting—complete with Iron Man and a new superhero. You were seriously wondering if anyone else was picking up on all of this if you were.

"I mean, _I_ didn't fight anyone. It was really boring actually." Peter quickly said. "Um, there was a fight, so we basically just stayed inside the hotel the entire time. You know, just talking about what I get to do with this whole new internship and all."

You nodded your head, looking understanding. "You didn't get in a fight, huh?" You asked him after a beat, and Peter knew exactly what you were talking about as he scratched the back of his neck and the both of you began to walk up the hall to Ned's locker.

"Oh, well, I mean, I did get caught up in it for a little bit. Got decked by some dude named Steve...but it's okay! I got a couple good hits in too, though."

You laughed, partly because of how obvious Peter was unknowingly being. You ignored the part of you that just wanted to tell him you knew and that he didn't have to keep it from you, as much as that part was telling you to do so. It's been a good couple of months ignoring that urge, and while it has gotten easier, it's also gotten simultaneously harder at certain times.

"What?" Peter frowned but and a playful glint in his eyes. "No _way_ , is me getting hurt funny to you?" He nudged you with his elbow and you shook your head.

" _No_ ," you chuckled. "I'm glad a black eye is the worst that happened. Next time, don't take on guys double your size, yeah?"

You only realized what you and said once Peter stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes in your direction. "I didn't tell you he was that big," he said carefully, tilting his head accusingly and you couldn't help the small feeling of panic rise and send your thoughts into overdrive.

You chuckled nervously, glancing to your side where you saw Ned waving and heading in your direction. "It was just a lucky guess, Pete. Besides, you just told me, so I was right anyway."

"Oh. Right." Peter shook his head and looked down at the ground before his head shot back up when Ned called both his and your names before fitting himself in between the two of you.

"Okay, first matter of business: we need to work on a plan to keep hanging out over the summer." Ned grinned as you, him, and Peter turned towards the cafeteria. "Secondly: how was the retreat, bro?"

Peter glanced over at you and you just gestured back to him. "All you, man."

You stayed silent as Peter retold the story, adding a few more details now that Ned was there for him to hear too. Sitting down together with your food at lunch, the three of you worked out a plan for weekly video calls and hangouts and pretty much anything that you could fit in as long as it didn't conflict with Decathlon practice for both Ned and Peter, and Peter's new internship hours.

You were handling keeping two secrets from Peter a lot better than you thought you would be able too, and you just hoped it stayed that way and you wouldn't say something wrong and slip like you almost did just now.

**March** **16, 20** **17**

You tugged your on your hoodie before crossing your arms in attempts to generate more body heat. Just the other day, and even this morning, it had only been moderately chilly. But once school ended, New York seemed to be blasted with arctic air. Of course it was your luck to not have checked the weather before leaving for school in the morning.

You skipped taking the bus ride home because you thought you could make it to your cousins house a bit faster. He didn't go to Midtown, and was instead in college working to get a bachelors degree in engineering, biological and computer science so he could start his path of becoming an astronaut. He was visiting until the weekend was over, and you wanted to stop by and spend some time before he had to leave again.

You glanced at the streets full of cars at a standstill, honking and shouts of annoyance filled the air and you wondered if this was just because of normal New York traffic or if something had went wrong. Your silent question had been answered when you heard the faint sounds of sirens in the distance.

You stopped walking for a moment. You needed to go in the way the traffic was being blocked, it was the only way to get to your cousins apartment without it taking longer than twenty minutes, and you weren't sure if you would be able to last that long in this temperature with only a thin hoodie covering your upper body for protection. You figured you could hurry by quickly. It was most likely just a car crash, and you would be able to maneuver around the crowd and continue on your way.

You readjusted you're backpack and held onto the straps as you came closer to the gasping crowd in front of you. You kept your head down and shuffled through the crowd, muttering soft 'excuse me's', but you stopped when you heard something about a bank robbery and Spider-Man being there to stop it.

Your head perked up and you stopped walking jut a little ways in front of the crowd. You turned back around, and realized you were in fact in front of a bank, across the street. Okay, so maybe that was a little more serious than a car crash. Fighting the urge to stay and get a glimpse of Spider-Man firsthand, you took a deep breath and sped up your pace, almost a run. You weren't one to put yourself in danger unless it was for a good reason. You hoped that anyone that was inside the bank would be okay, that the robbers would get caught, and that Spider-Man would swing away unscathed from a job well done.

You hadn't even made it a block before you heard a gunshot pierce the air, and you instinctively ducked while your hands went to cover your ears. You heard screams and before you knew it, your legs broke out into a run, attempting to make your feet go as fast as they would take you.

You thought you had made good headway, but the feeling of almost falling backwards as someone yanked on your backpack told you that you hadn't gotten very far. You squeezed your eyes shut from the sudden action, and your heart hammering in your chest was all you could hear as someone tugged you in front of them and you felt a sharp tip of a blade pressing into your lower back while an arm wrapped around your neck, holding you in place.

" _Fuck._ " You muttered under your breath before you heard a female voice hiss into your ear.

"Play along, and you won't get hurt." She told you. You frantically nodded, gulping a large lump down in your throat before your eyes opened at another voice.

"Oh no," you would recognize that voice anywhere. It took less than a second for you to find the mask of Spider-Man's new suit—well, if being almost half a year old constitutes as new— white eyes wide open from alarm. "Come on, this isn't cool, let her go."

"Sure." The woman spoke. "Let me go, I let her go. Fair deal."

"It isn't fair if she's innocent and did nothing wrong," Spider-Man— _Peter—_ countered.

"Last chance bug-boy."

"Bug-boy? _Really_? Spiders are arachnids, not bugs or insects. And I thought the world was smarter than this."

You let your face fall flat. You wanted to say "seriously Peter? Right now?" but you knew better than to let his name slip. You did however, let out a grimace of pain when you felt the blade push harsher into your back and you tried to move forward to get away from it but you were pulled back. That made Spider-Man take a cautious step forward.

"Okay! Okay, have it your way!" He said frantically. "Just let her go."

The sirens were getting closer, and you saw the lights out of the corner of your eye. After what seemed like a torturous thirty seconds, the woman pushed your forward and took off into a run behind you. Spider-Man caught you as you stumbled and quickly set you up straight.

Your body felt weak from the relief, and a smile full of disbelief spread across your lips. Your heart was still beating rapidly and pounding in your head, the adrenaline coursing through you making your thoughts foggy.

"Are you okay?" He asked hurriedly, and you could see people closing in around you to get a glimpse.

"I love you." you said without thinking.

"What did you say?"

"What?" Your head shot up and you pulled away from him. "I said she's getting away!" You cringed, knowing the two sounded nothing like the other. "I'm fine. Swear." He seemed to take some time mulling over your words to see if you were telling the truth or not.

Spider-Man gave you a tense nod before he shot a web and zipped up into the air. The woman, who you could see clearly now, clad in all black, had dashed nearly three block blocks down. In the distance, you could hear Spider-Man's voice again. "Sorry! I don't make deals with criminals!" Before he webbed her up and left her sitting helplessly on the sidewalk. The police cars skidded to a halt in front of him, and you could make out his figure give a quick wave before disappearing into the sky.

You felt a hand on your shoulder, and it made you jump. Turning around, you saw an older woman looking at you with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay, honey?"

You nodded your head, giving her a small smile. "I'm okay, thank you." But you felt goosebumps appear on your skin, both from the cold and from the life threatening event you just experienced. You fumbled to get out your phone, holding yourself again and began to walk away, this time paying as close attention to your surroundings as you could. "Come on John, pick up." You mumbled impatiently.

"Y/N? Is there something wrong?" You heard his voice crackle over the line and answer the call after the third ring.

"You wouldn't believe."

**March 20, 2017**

"Another essay?" You heard a student groan from the front of the class after your English teacher had announced the assignment for the week.

Frankly, you felt the same way, letting your head drop onto your desk and hearing Peter chuckle next to you. With a smile, you turned your head and looked at him. "It's not _that_ bad." He told you, ushering you to sit up when your teacher turned back to look at the class.

"Yes, _another essay_. I have to prepare you for Finals somehow," she smiled. "But I think this one won't be as bad as the others."

"How so?" A kid with blonde hair raised her hand.

"Well, you do have a bit more freedom with this than the others." Your teacher, Ms. Robbe began to explain. "There's no prompts to follow, or textual questions to answer. I just want to know who your hero, or role model is. You know, the person you look up to, idolize." That piqued the class' interest. "Tell me who they are, what they do, and how they influence the world. I want you guys to have some fun with this, before we get into the really gritty hard work."

"See? Told you." Peter whispered, grinning, and you tilted your head to look at him.

"Hero, huh?"

**March 27, 2017**

You were probably the most nervous than you had ever been as your teacher called you to the front of the class to present your essay. Peter had given you an encouraging smile paired with a thumbs up. He had no idea that your essay was about him. Well, in actuality, about Spider-Man. But you and poured your heart and soul into your work, and you hoped that he would figure out the double meaning of your words.

This essay was the gateway for what you've been looking for the past year and a half. A way admit everything you feel in a safe and hopefully subtle enough way that no else but the the intended person would pick up. This seemed like the perfect chance, and so you took it. Peter had moved on from both Katy and Liz, and as far as you knew, there wasn't anyone else. Whether Peter had any romantic feelings for you or not, you felt like you've kept yours inside for too long, suppressing the crush that had only grown stronger with time, and you had to get them out somehow.

You glanced at the clock before taking a deep breath. There wasn't much time left in the period, you were probably going to be the last person to share their essay today.

"My role model is New York's very own crime fighter, Spider-Man..." You began and the class was silent, spare the few snickers from your choice. You tried your hardest not to stare at Peter just yet as you spoke, but your eyes swept over him and you saw a look on his face you couldn't quite determine. Surprise or interest.

To your own surprise, your English class seemed to hold on to every word you spoke, in awe as you spoke so strongly about Spider-Man. Especially Peter. Which was your plan all along. You wanted him to know just exactly how you felt, how much you respected and admired Peter, and writing a speech about his alter-ego seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do so.

"...Most people seem to forget that with heroes like Spider-Man, it isn't just the, they should be thanking. You should thank the person _under_ the mask." As you began your conclusion, you let your eyes finally settle on Peter. He was leaning forward, and you noticed that he most likely haven't taken his eyes off of you the entire time. Your stomach was twisting in knots, hoping that this didn't backfire, and Peter got the hints you dropped throughout. "Because without them, the person who consciously chooses to commit selfless acts day in and day out, the person who offers his help to not only the great dangers, but to those who need it—no matter the problem, we wouldn't have Spider-Man.

"We wouldn't have the heroes we all love. I owe my thanks for saving my life not just to Spider-Man, but to the _man_ behind the mask. In anyway I could, I would tell him, show him, just how much I respect him. How much I admire him. As should everyone else. Spider-Man is the type of person we all should aspire to be, we should all listen to what his character can teach us. If there were more righteous, selfless, and caring people in this world, the world we all like in in would be a better place."

The applause that filled the room when you finished brought your shyness out from where you had tucked it away and you sunk into yourself a little with a small smile. Letting out a shaky breath, you shuffled quickly back to your seat and immediately felt eyes still on you. Especially Peter's.

You were hesitant to pack up as the bell rang and students rushed to get out of class. Peter hadn't said a word, but he was watching your every move. You began to doubt yourself, trying to think of whether you did everything right, or everything terribly wrong.

You kept fidgeting as you and Peter walked side by side. Since today was a day where Ned's class was all the way on the other side of the school, the three of you were going to meet up in the cafeteria for lunch.

You were anxious as you kept seeing Peter go to say something to you, turning his head and opening his mouth, but every time he just closed it and stayed silent. The both of you were following the crowd to the lunchroom, but right before you reached the doors, you felt Peter tap on your arm and stop you.

"Um," he began, looking as anxious as you felt. "Can I— can I talk to you?"

You blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, sure." You told him, and the both of you broke away from the moving group of students and into an emptying stairwell off the cafeteria.

Peter sat down on the steps, and you slowly sat next to him, holding your things on your lap since the both of you skipped lockers completely.

"I uh— I didn't know you liked Spider-Man that much." He started softly, staring at his hands and glancing in your direction to his side.

You let out a light laugh, shutting your eyes before you spoke. "Well, I know he's a pretty cool dude."

"Do you?" Peter asked and you met his eyes. "Know who he is? I mean."

"I can answer that two ways, Pete." You told him, your voice soft. "But I want to hear what you have to say first." His eyes widened a fraction when he realized that you had meant to get his the wheels in his mind turning, that this conversation was what you wanted to have. He realized you knew.

"Did you mean it?" You could tell he didn't want to say anything wrong like you were. Still are. "Everything you just said?"

"And then some." you replied with a small smile.

"Then do you— or did I read it wrong?" He sighed when his sentence came out broken. "I'm sorry I kept it from you."

You shook your head and frowned. "I don't want you to feel sorry, Peter," you told him. "I'm sure you had your reasons, you always do."

"So you do know?" You nodded your head. "And you said nothing?"

"I figured that because you hadn't told me, you weren't ready for me to know." You broke eye contact and stared down at your feet. Finally hearing your own reason for keeping it a secret out loud, it sounded stupid. You were withholding information just as Peter was, but while you knew Peter wouldn't have been violating your trust, there was a large chance you were violating his. "I'm so sorry, I should've told you—" you spoke quickly, your words rushed as you finally figured out about all of the flaws of this plan, how easy it was for this conversation to go downhill.

"Woah! Wait, Y/N, what are you apologizing for?" Peter stopped you, confusion crossing his face.

"I've known you were Spider-Man for _months_ , over a year, and-and I said nothing to you. I thought I was doing the right thing, by not telling you, because you didn't tell me so I thought you didn't trust me to know. S-so I wanted you to trust me, and I wrote that speech to tell you everything I feel about you to try and get you to see that you _can_ trust me. God, I sound so selfish." Your hands flew to your face to try and hide yourself from his view. Peter went silent again, and you thought this was it. You officially entered a space with Peter where neither of you would leave the same.

"Y/N," your head shot up when you felt Peter's hand on your arm, gently pulling your hands from your face. "You're far from selfish." You inhaled shakily, trying to calm your racing mind. "You never told me you knew to protect me, just as I never told you because I wanted to protect you. You were being considerate of my feelings, when I...I wasn't. You shouldn't be the one saying sorry."

"You were trying to protect me?" Was the first words out of your mouth, in question form. "What do you mean?"

"What did you mean when you said you loved me?" You nearly fell off the stair, even as you were sitting. So he had heard that, and he didn't forget even if it's been almost been two weeks since then. And Peter had a _grin_ on his face.

"I-In what way do those two questions correlate, Peter?" You asked, stumbling over your words, feeling your face heat up.

"I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone I love get hurt because of me." Peter told you, his smile shrinking a little, but not yet going away. "That's how they correlate."

Your mouth dropped as you were trying to process what he just said. "You mean...?

"Did you mean it?" He then asked quickly. "Because I'll take it back if you didn't—"

"I did." You interrupted him. "I do," you then said, your voice dropping. "Do you?"

"Yeah." You felt the smile forming on your face. 

"That's cool," 

"Cool. Yeah."

You felt every part of you ease up and a wave of comfort abolish any negative emotions in your and Peter's shared air. It was silent again, but this time, the silence was welcomed. That was, until you heard the door at the top of the stairwell open and close, and footsteps begin to descend. 

"Oh, um," Peter stood up, holding his hand out for you to take, and suddenly, you were taken back to the day you first met him all over again. "We probably should get to lunch. Ned's probably wondering where we are."

"Ye-yeah." Taking his hand, you stood up. There was no one in the hall as the both of you headed back towards the doors that led to the cafeteria, which was good in more than one way. At least the two of you wouldn't get in trouble. "Peter?" You asked after a moment, your brain now racing with thoughts that weren't so defeatist. 

"Yeah?" He pushed open the door and the sounds of teenagers chatting and the smell of food filled the air as you walked through. 

"If you really...you know...then why do you never act the same way around me as you did with Katy or with Liz?" 

Peter smiled tensely for a second, letting out a dry chuckle. "Well um, I guess when I started to like you as more than a friend, I was already so comfortable around you. I know you, and-and I didn't have to worry about whether you would like me back for being me or not because you were already my friend." 

"I guess...that makes sense." 

"Y/N! Peter! Where have you been?!" You heard Ned's voice and an apologetic smile appeared on both of your faces as you made your way over. You sat down across from Ned, and Peter took his usual spot by his side. 

"Just talking about things." Peter answered, and you stifled a laugh at how unhelpful it was. 

"Does he know?" You asked Peter, glancing at Ned. 

"Oh. Yeah, he kinda saw me a while ago." Peter chuckled wryly. 

"Wait, do I know what?" Then Ned gasped. "Does _you_ know?" He turned to Peter. "Does she _know_ know? Are we talking about the same thing here?" 

"Yeah, Ned." Then Peter scrunched his face. "At least I think so." 

"O-o-oh Y/N!" Ned laughed, repeatedly tapping the table excitedly. "You have so much to learn about being a guy in the chair!"


	28. There's Always Instances In Which Being Early Isn't Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were pulled out of your thoughts when Peter started moving, and you realized it was probably because you had tore the blanket he was covering up with off of him, and the chilly morning air hit him all at once, and you froze all over again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another requested chapter from @teenwishes03 on Wattpad.
> 
> This chapter called for some awkward familial talks. 
> 
> Warning(s): things got a little bit risqué, depending on your mind I guess. Some language. If periods or the subject of them makes you uncomfortable, be warned for the last couple parts of this chapter, as that was the request and inspiration for writing this one.

You couldn't keep track of the days you were grateful for Peter Parker existing because the number always constantly grew.

Some days it would be because of his superhero persona, Spider-Man would come swooping in and save the day, whether it be by helping someone cross the street or pulling someone from a car crash. Other days it would be just him being himself, being there to answer a late night phone call when you were feeling scared or lonely or sitting in silence with you as you let yourself melt into his embrace.

Peter seemed too good for this world sometimes. Even after all he's been through, he always tries his hardest for everyone. To be there for them, make sure they're happy and proud of him. He's always so understanding and patient, and downright adorable even when he wasn't trying. But he also knew he had people to go to—including you— for the times he needed someone.

"What are you looking at?" You heard Peter ask and your smile grew.

"You. Is there a problem?" You asked jokingly, trailing Peter with your eyes as he stood up, pressing a kiss to your temple as he walked by to throw a scrap piece of paper away.

"Yeah. You're supposed to be studying." He chuckled, sitting back down in his spot on the couch next to you. "I'm sure your dad wouldn't appreciate it if you came home and still had homework to do."

"I'm sure if it's one time, he'll let it slip. He loves you, you know?"

"Oh yeah?" Peter glanced up at you, a small smile on his lips and you laughed.

"I think he's already rehearsing a speech so we would name any potential kids after him." You pulled the small throw blanket that was covering your lap closer so Peter wouldn't sit on it when he scooted closer.

"Nothing's going to change my mind from Spidey-Child Number One, you know."

"Yeah, no, we're not naming our kid, or any kids that." You laughed, rolling your eyes when Peter tugged you closer to him so he could get comfortable against your chest, kissing your shoulder before resting his head. You ran a hand through his hair before leaning your head on his, picking up your pencil again. "You aren't any less distracting like this, you know?"

"I figured I could see what you're doing this way. Give you the answers," He mumbled, bringing his hand up to point to your book. "What's the difference between a meteoroid, meteor, and a meteorite?"

"Nice try, Pete, but I'm not going to get _anything_ done like this." You said softly, pressing your lips to the top of his head. "You were the one just saying how I needed to study."

"Okay, true, but I'm also bored."

"So how about some dinner?" The both of you turned your heads when you heard May's voice appear in the apartment, the front door closing behind her. "I'm starving."

"Dinner sounds great." Peter answered with a smile.

"Anyone interesting today?" You asked her, twisting your body and making Peter shift and sit up, a pout appearing on his face to show how much he appreciated moving, but you ignored it the best you could, holding in a light chuckle.

"Not really, just some people with a cold, some sprains, which I suppose is good and normal. I know you're looking for exciting, Y/N," May smiled, glancing in your direction.

"My standards were raised when you told the story about the guy and the pencil he stabbed through his hand." You replied, sighing, and smoothing the pages of your school book and looking back at the pages covering the astronomy and outer space unit.

You lived for May's emergency room stories, whether they were boring or action filled. The work she did was amazing, and the nurses that worked with her didn't get nearly enough credit for what they did and who they deal with. You were also learning medicine from her, tag-teaming when Peter came back from a particularly bad night as Spider-Man and needed patching up, in case there was ever an time when she wasn't there like if she got called in because her hours could be crazy.

"I know, I know," She smiled, turning into towards the hallway after taking off her jacket and hanging it up. "I'm gonna go get changed out of my scrubs and then start dinner. How does tuna casserole sound?"

"Delicious."

"So I need to finish up, Peter," You said firmly.

"If you did all your homework, you don't need to study right now, right?" He asked, looking up at you, making his eyes large and pleading, giving you that puppy dog face you both hated and loved so much.

"I—"

"I just wanna hug and kiss you, and maybe later we could—"

"Keep it PG when I'm in the house please!" Peter stopped when May shouted to her nephew from her bedroom. "You know I can hear everything!"

"It was only gonna be PG-13 at _most_ ," Peter muttered embarrassingly and you snorted, remembering Peter only said something like that on rare occasions, and most of the time they always got interrupted before he finished.

"You can tell me later." You whispered. "You're still good to spend the night tomorrow, right?"

"May doesn't mind. Your dad didn't change his mind?"

"He doesn't mind. As long as he doesn't catch us doing anything." You laughed. "But that shouldn't be something to worry about, right?" You teased and Peter rolled his eyes before closing them, letting his head rest on the back of the couch.

"Right," He answered flatly, forcing a smile down before he couldn't hold it in. "We're only going to be playing video games anyway. Maybe watch a movie or two."

"I don't think we'll get around to movies. You're kinda a sore loser when it comes to Mario Kart."

"I am not!" Peter sat up, staring at you with fake offense plastered on his face.

"Yes you are." May backed you up, emerging from her room wearing a tank top and a pair of sweatpants and stopping a moment before walking into the kitchen.

"Okay, but Y/N cheats and we all know it!" Peter argued.

"I don't think there's a way you can cheat in Mario Kart," You closed your science book, knowing you weren't going to touch it again tonight. "I'm just a natural."

"I'm gonna beat you later, just watch. Expose you and your cheating ways."

"You do that." You patted his knee as you sat up, gathering your things to stuff them into the contents of your backpack.

"Stop accusing your girlfriend of cheating in a video game and come help me cook." May poked her head out and smiled at the two teenagers.

"I— what? No one ever believes me!" Peter pouted, crossing his arms and slumping into the couch child-like, and you snickered as you stood up, holding your hand out for him to take.

"Come on you big baby, lets go help cook." Peter grumbled something you didn't quite catch fully, but he made the words "you're lucky I love you" quite clear. You pulled him in for a quick kiss, bringing a smile to his lips, before dragging him into the kitchen with you. "Love you too."

—————꧁꧂—————

The sun was just starting to set, beams of light shining through the windows and casting a warm orange glow into the apartment. But as beautiful as it was, it went unnoticed by you and Peter as you focused on the television, joy-con remotes gripped tightly in your hands, and the air silent and tense as the two of you were head to head for first place on the last lap of the circuit. 

"Ha! I told you I could—" Peter started, voice proud from a victory he thought he had gotten, but right before he passed the finish line, your character went zooming past him, clutching the title of first place and Peter coming in a close second. "What? How the hell?" He turned towards you, who was smiling smugly, sitting back on the couch and letting out a breath. 

"I had mushrooms, remember?" You asked him innocently.

"Yeah, you got those a while ago! I thought you used them!" 

"No," You said slowly. "I knew third lap was coming up so I saved them." 

"You're saying you didn't use _any_ power ups that entire lap?" 

"Nope." 

"So you could win." 

"Yup." You put your joy-con down. "It's called playing smart." You tapped the side of your head. 

"It's called cheating, that's what it's called." Peter huffed. "We've been playing like three hours and I didn't win a single game!" 

You tried hard not to laugh, you really did, but Peter angry, or pretending to be angry, was just too cute not to react too. His brown curls flopped down against his forehead, and while he normally hated it, you could tell he was trying hard to keep up the angsty teenager look, and fixing it would ruin the image. His arms were crossed and his hands in his armpits, his lips turned down, making angry eyes at whatever he could stare at in front of him. You couldn't help but to let the bubble of laughter escape, which earned a glare in your direction. 

"It's only a game, Pete," You began, swiping his hair out of the way and smiling down at him. "I'm sure we'll find one you can win at." 

Suddenly, Peter grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer to him, using the force of you moving to move and switch places with you, him hovering a couple of inches above you and a cheeky smirk replicating his previous expression. "I mean," He settled down, closer, and you felt his body slowly pressing against you. "We both know a game I always win," He looked into your eyes, his own filled with as much innocence he could pretend he had while the rest of him portrayed the exact opposite. 

"Tempting," You laughed, wiggling your wrist from his grasp and finding the back of his neck, lightly scratching his scalp when he pressed his lips to yours. "But I don't plan on letting you win anytime tonight." You pulled back, pushing him off of you. "What time is it? Dad went to bed a while ago." 

"I think you're evil sometimes." Peter sighed, flopping down on the couch, joy-con in his hand as it laid across his chest, the other hand up covering his eyes. "Only like, seven." 

"What do you want to do?" You rolled your shoulders, stretching and glancing at Peter. 

"You sure you want me to answer that?" Peter smiled and then groaned as he sat up. "No, really, I want a rematch." 

"Correction: you mean your fortieth rematch." You said, setting up another round, the player selection screen appearing. 

"I don't care how many rematches it takes, I'm not stopping until I win." 

"Alright Spider-Boy." 

Two hours later, Peter finally won a game. 

You were sitting back, and watching in amusement as Peter jumped up and started prancing around the living room, celebrating his success in every way he could think of at the moment, but once he saw how laid back you were, chuckling and shaking your head as you turned off the Nintendo Switch, he started the with the accusations of how you let him win, and that you were just tired.

You dismissed anything he said, telling him that he won fair and square, and he should enjoy it while it lasted, and you led a skeptical Peter Parker to your room to get ready for bed. 

"Come on, I'm not letting you sleep on the floor when there's room on a perfectly good bed." You tugged on Peter's arm, pulling him towards where you were sitting on the edge of your bed, and the boy was standing hesitantly in front of you. 

"But you said you don't know if your dad has to work tomorrow," Peter started softly. "I know he really likes me and all, but I'm not sure if him waking up and finding us in the same bed would be crossing a line or not." 

"Peter." You stood up, staring straight into his eyes and wrapping your arms around his neck. "It'll be fine. As long as we aren't naked, I don't think he cares." 

Peter rolled his eyes. "Okay," He agreed. "Will you let me go get dressed?" He asked softly, smiling when you let out an exasperated breath. "What? _You_ changed in the bathroom." 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," You groaned playfully, letting go of him, and sat down on your bed, pulling the covers up over you as you situated yourself on one side of the bed, watching as Peter exited the room, change of clothes in his arms, and waiting patiently until he came back, this time wearing a navy t-shirt and grey sweatpants. 

You and Peter stayed up a while longer, keeping quiet as it got later at night, finally falling asleep around quarter to eleven with his arms around you.

—————꧁꧂—————

Waking up, you started to stretch, the sunlight shining brightly through the windows making it hard for you to go back to sleep even if you wanted too. 

You stopped your actions when you bumped into a still sleeping Peter. You couldn't move that much, his arm was wrapped tightly around your waist, holding you so close to him there barely was any room between the two of you. As much as you didn't want to, you equally wanted to turn around to see him, so you carefully lifted his arm so you could turn around. 

Peter seemed almost frozen in time, a forever expression of content, if it wasn't for the soft snoring coming from his slightly open mouth and the rise and fall of his chest. You found yourself smiling before you knew it, taking in the moment, the sight of your boyfriend in the morning, his hair messy and frizzy, the smallest amount of drool, but it was there, the sunlight illuminating the freckles dotting his cheeks, all of it. You didn't get to see him like this often, and you had to savor it while you could. 

Of course nice moments never lasted as long as you would like them to. 

Sitting up, you stretched some more, reaching your hands towards the ceiling and yawning. You uncovered yourself, and was about to get out of bed to start some breakfast when you saw the dark red spots staining your pajama pants, and you knew exactly what it was, what had happened overnight, and you were momentarily stunned, not remembering how to tap into your motor skills until a flash of fear ran through your brain and you jumped up, scrambling up to your knees and checking the mattress and your blanket. 

You let out a sigh of relief when you hadn't bled through enough to get your blanket, and you didn't see anything on your sheets, but your newfound calm only lasted a couple of seconds when you realized how you were sleeping. 

Gulping, you pulled back the blanket that was still covering Peter, and you started to feel yourself freak out when you noticed you bled onto his pants. This was by far the most embarrassing thing that had happened to you, and there was no way you could hide it. You weren't expecting your period yet, you didn't even start having any cramps, so you were completely unprepared. 

You were pulled out of your thoughts when Peter started moving, and you realized it was probably because you had tore the blanket he was covering up with off of him, and the chilly morning air hit him all at once, and you froze all over again. 

"Good morning?" Peter spoke in a low morning voice, which in any other circumstance, you would've loved to hear more of, when he saw you kneeling over him and staring down at his pants. He started to follow your gaze, and he started to panic as well, but not for the same reason as you, quickly pulling himself up into a sitting position. "Oh shit, I'm not h—" Your eyes shot up to him, and you felt your face start to burn as you sat back, covering yourself with the blanket and sitting on your legs. "Oh." 

"I'm so sorry Peter! I-I wasn't expecting my period to start until next week, and-and—"

"It's fine Y/N," Peter chuckled, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "All we need is to change, and we had to do that anyway." 

"What?" You asked, a little shocked about how calm he was. 

"May taught me about periods a couple of years ago, I know it's not something you can control." He gently pulled you closer as he leaned forward to meet you, kissing your cheek. "How about you go jump in the shower to clean up, and I'll grab some clothes for you to change into, okay sweetheart?" He smiled, and relief flooded you, and you let out a breathless laugh. 

"I swear, you weren't meant for this world," You muttered, sweetly kissing his lips, and when you pulled back, you saw a tired smile spread across his face, his eyes closed as if he was enjoying the moment just as you had a few minutes prior. "You're perfect, Pete," 

"I know." He stated, his smile widening and he peeked through one of his eyes to see your face fall flat. "No, but seriously, go start the water, I'll drop your clothes off and start something to eat."

You shook your head at the boy, smiling, as you climbed out of bed and left the room to get to the bathroom. The days you were grateful for Peter were always ever growing, and this definitely added to the list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> His Warrior Angel is now here! Go check it out :)


	29. The Spider Upstairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking a few calming breaths, you laughed, realizing that whoever lived in the apartment above you must've been clumsy and probably fell in the dark, maybe even out of bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this doesn't seem all over the place, I had the ending planned out because it was my dream basically, and I needed something to lead up to it. 
> 
> Y/F/B = your favorite band
> 
> This takes place in the future I suppose. Reader and Peter are adults and living on their own.

"I think that does it." You sighed and smiled proudly, wiping your hands on your shirt as you looked around your newly furnished and unpacked apartment. Your breather didn't last long when you blinked and saw just how trashed the place was from all the unorganized items you have lazily strewn in the places you wanted them neatly stored. "Eh, that can wait," you shrugged, collapsing onto your brand new couch, exhausted.

After working all through high school and college, you finally saved up enough to afford your own place. It was a little small, and you were the only person who lived on the floor, but it didn't matter to you. To you, your apartment was comfortable, and you wouldn't have to worry about any invasion of privacy.

The rent was fairly cheap, for an apartment in Queens anyway. And while at first you thought the price might be too good to be true, you actually fell in love with the place your first tour with the landlord. Mindy was a pretty chill and patient person, and you were sure you could become fast friends with her if you tried.

Finding your phone in the mess, you wiped the sweat from your forehead and ordered a pizza. Take out of some kind was always a tradition your family did the time you moved when you were younger, and when you helped your older siblings move into their places when they left the house. Then you frowned; everyone you knew was too busy to help you move.

That didn't matter though, you were a young adult now, and you loved the freedom of not living with your family or in a dorm with a roommate anymore. You could blast music (to an extent— you had no one on the same floor at the moment, but there were people living above and below you), prance around in your underwear, pretty much anything you've ever wanted to do without having to worry about someone interrupting you or telling you to stop.

The only thing you found that sucked because you were old enough to have your own responsibility, was that you still had to have a a job and bills to pay. But you were sure you had that covered.

Ignoring the silent judgement from the delivery boy as he peered into your empty apartment while you paid for the twenty-four cut pizza, you smiled and shut the door, enjoying your meal before going to heading to bed.

A loud thud vibrated in your chest and you woke up, your heart pounding from fear until you realized that it wasn't someone breaking in, but in fact from whoever lived upstairs when you heard a soft muffled cursing.

Taking a few calming breaths, you laughed, realizing that whoever lived in the apartment above you must've been clumsy and probably fell in the dark, maybe even out of bed.

Rolling over, you went back to sleep.

Your first night in your new apartment went probably as good as it could go, minus you waking up briefly at two in the morning.

Eating leftover pizza for breakfast, you got to work organizing your apartment. You didn't have much, but it still wound up being the neatest a disorganized mess could be. It was your last day off before you started work again, and you wanted to try and finish up as much house work as you could as fast as you could so you could spend the remaining hours relaxing.

A knock on your door had you fixing your hair and standing up from the floor to answer it. "Hello?" You asked, opening the door to reveal a man not too much older than you with sandy blond hair and a friendly smile plastered on.

"I knew you were behind one of these doors," He held his hand out, and with a confused smile, you shook it. "I'm Max. One of the people who offered to help you earlier, remember?" He chuckled and you nodded your head, remembering the memory. You were struggling carrying two heavy boxes up your second flight of stairs, and you were panting heavily on the steps as you took a breather, and a group of friends were exiting their apartment and saw you. One of them, who you now knew his name was Max, asked if you needed any help. Partially not wanting to admit you needed any, and partially not wanting to interrupt whatever plans it looked like they had, you politely said no, and the group and you went their separate ways.

"Oh! Yeah, I remember," you chuckled lightly. "I'm Y/N."

"Well, nice to meet you Y/N," he bowed his head like he was tipping a hat. "But I'm going to tell my sister that you're in apartment 21D before I forget." Max noticed your expression shift back to confusion and he smiled. "She saw your Y/F/B poster sticking out of one of those boxes, and she really wanted to talk to you because it's one of her favorite artists too, but she's really shy when it comes to social confrontation with strangers." He explained and you nodded along, understanding completely.

"I would love to meet her, I can tell she has good taste," you laughed. "You live downstairs?"

"20B, if you ever want to come over. You're welcome to."

"Likewise. Other than work, I have a pretty free schedule."

"Noted." Max let out a breath. "I'll let you get back to what you were doing, I didn't mean to impose,"

"It's fine, really," you assured him. "It's nice to know I won't be lonely in this place."

"Nah, everyone here is pretty nice, it's like our own little community here. Especially Peter, his aunt knew what she was doing raising him. He lives right above you, actually. He's probably the best of us all even if he looks like a hot mess sometimes. Watch out for Mr. Harlow though. He's your typical grouch, even if you didn't do anything to him."

"I will keep that in mind."

"Okay, so I'll really be going now," Max waved and you smiled one last time as you waved back. "Bye."

It really seemed like you got lucky here.

Peter woke you up again.

You were yet to run into him, it wasn't like you were trying too, so you haven't had a chance to ask him about what he does in the middle of the night, and why he chooses to do it so early in the morning.

This was the eighth time since you moved in. It hasn't been eight consecutive nights in a row, and instead spread throughout the course of the last two weeks, so that ruled out falling out of bed in your mind. While that could totally be a valid possibility, something in your gut told you that whatever he was doing, it was definitely more purposeful.

You didn't want to be labeled as the bitchy neighbor though, who goes across the complex yelling at the tenents to keep it down, so that's what kept you from heading upstairs. Even if it was only one time, you knew that the world never really grows up from their high school days and rumors still spread like crazy.

You groaned, turning over and shutting your eyes, trying to get back to sleep, when you heard another clatter from upstairs. Your eyes shot back open when you thought you heard the muffled words of "can't breathe" being spoken, but then there was silence. Not even the sound of someone moving, so while you were paranoid, you also thought maybe you were just mishearing things.

It took a little longer, but you finally got back to sleep within the dark and dead silence.

Even though you went to bed earlier than you normally do, and woke up an hour later than you normally did, you still felt really tired and sluggish, not really wanting to leave your apartment as you pulled on a hoodie and stepped out the front door.

You hadn't checked the mail in a while, so you decided while you had some motivation to go downstairs and do it now. Although walking back up to the fourth floor would feel like rock climbing.

Making sure you had your box key, you slowly started down the stairs, your eyes barely open and yawning every half flight. You wanted nothing more than to turn around and crash on your couch, but you had already started the journey. Might as well finish it.

Your eyes were half lidded and your vision limited as you stumbled over to the wall, scanning the metal containers for your apartment number and name and then finally opening it up to take out the moderate amount of mail.

Skimming through it, you noticed it wasn't really anything important, save the occasional bill reminder, and you went to close the mail door. You began to turn around so you could go back upstairs, but you saw someone else heading right towards you. Well, not to you, but to the mail.

Suddenly feeling anxious because you hadn't seen him before, you haven't met everyone who lived in the complex yet, especially the people on the upper floors, you turned back and pretended to skim through your mail again, trying your hardest to keep your eyes forward, but your curiosity got the better of you and you noticed yourself glancing over more than you would've liked.

While he looked like he was in his early twenties, he could definitely still pass as a high school student, his boyish features were still prominently there. He looked just as tired as you, if not more exhausted, wearing a dark gray tee shirt and a pair of old faded pink Hello Kitty pajama pants like he just stumbled out of bed. Which honestly, he might've, considering the wild state his brown hair was in.

Your brain immediately thought of the first conversation you had with Max a couple of weeks ago, remembering how he said the person who lived upstairs from you, Peter, occasionally looked like a mess, and everything you noticed, his eyes (even if you only got a glimpse of them) and the bags underneath only added to that hypothesis forming in your mind.

You would be lying if you didn't admit a little anger rising in your chest, but after viewing the state he was in, you pushed it away and decided to pluck up the courage to talk.

"Hi." You turned towards him. "I'm Y/N. I just moved in a couple weeks ago, I don't think we met," you held out your hand, your other clutching onto your mail so it wouldn't fall.

You got his attention, and despite the obvious state he was in, a large warm smile spread across his lips and he took your hand. "I'm Peter. Parker. I thought I heard someone move in downstairs,"

"Yup. That's me," you said a little awkwardly. Letting go of his hand and chuckling dryly. You took a deep breath and had to catch yourself from coughing. The smell of smoke from a fire appeared in the air. Not heavily, like the building was currently in flames, but like it was on someone; on Peter.

"Nice music, by the way," he laughed a little, and the small smile you had dropped. His tone was pretty neutral, and you weren't sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think it was too loud, I'll turn it down next time—"

"No, no, I just mean, you play a lot of good songs." He shook his head. "I have really good hearing, so I'm sure it's just fine."

"The thin walls and floors wouldn't help too much either," you trailed off, laughing a little, but stopping when you saw confusion on Peter's face. "I'm just talking about other people. I mean, I can hear you at night, so I'm assuming they could hear my music too..." you waved your hand. "It's nothing. Sorry if that didn't make any sense."

"Uh," Peter suddenly looked nervous about something. "N-no, it made sense. Just, what exactly do you hear at night?" He looked at you, the sudden shift of emotion making you feel singled out as he stared cautiously into your eyes, his eyes, you've noticed to be aged beyond him, like he's seen something terrible.

"Just a couple bumps and thuds. Stuff that's pretty scary in the middle of the night." You tried to keep your tone light and non-patronizing, and by the looks of it you succeeded, relief sheeting his face. Although, it made you want to question what he _thought_ you were hearing.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry about that, I'm just really clumsy." Peter rubbed the back of his neck. "There's a stand I somehow refuse to move, and every time I get up to get a drink in the middle of the night, nine out of ten times I trip over it."

"That makes sense." You turned your head so you could roll your eyes at yourself. Of course it wasn't anything else, he wasn't purposely waking you up every night. Peter probably really was just like you were told he was. "Well, it was really nice meeting you, but I'm gonna go back upstairs and crash on my couch." You gave him a friendly smile. "Don't be shocked if I'm still only one floor up by the time you finish down here."

"Rough night?" Peter asked, turning around as you walked past him and back towards the stairs.

"Not as rough as yours." You said it jokingly, but at the same time, you wanted to know why he smelled like fire, but you never asked. "See you around."

"Bye."

You didn't know if you predicted losing all motor function on the second floor, or if it was just in your brain because that's what you said to Peter, but you were having a lot of trouble willing your legs to step up and start the next flight. You assumed you must've looked like you were debating becoming deviant or not, but having a stupid difficult time deciding to even try.

"Y/N?" You heard your name, but instead of acknowledging it, you blinked slowly. Your eyelids felt heavy and it felt like someone was squeezing your brain. "Need some help?" You realized it was Peter's voice jokingly asking a question.

"No..." you answered as soon as you could, which wasn't very fast. You didn't notice the look of concern appear on Peter's face. "I'm fine, I—" you lost your grip on the mail in your hands.

You didn't feel your body hit the floor and that's because it didn't. But you never realized it didn't, the feeling of falling the last thing you felt before you blacked out.

You woke up with a groan, squinting because you expected light, but instead it was moderately dark, the lamp on your kitchen counter the only light filling the apartment other than the moonlight from the windows outside.

Sitting up, your head throbbing, you looked around you, trying to remember how you got back to your apartment. You figured you just forgot walking up the stairs because you were tired and fell asleep immediately, but then you saw a glass of water on the end table and a pen and someone's handwriting on the back of a piece of mail.

Scooting over the the end of the couch, you picked up the mail and read the note.

_I really hope you don't mind, but I didn't want to leave you on the second floor landing._   
_Drink some water. And by some, I mean a lot. My friend told me you're really dehydrated._   
_Peter_

So that's how you wound up in your apartment. You fainted, and Peter somehow got you to your apartment two flights up? And who was his friend?

You shook your head and frowned down at the cup, eyeing it. You highly doubted Peter poisoned the water, but at the same time, you weren't conscious to watch him fill it up. Besides, how would he know you were dehydrated? You didn't even know you were dehydrated. That would make sense though, the sleepiness, the headache. You had been working so much lately, now that you thought about it, you babe been neglecting your needs. You glanced over at the clock. Two in the morning. Jeez, didn't Peter think to call an ambulance?

You placed the cup of water back down and sighed, closing your eyes, holding your head in your hands as you sat on your couch in your dark apartment. Peter wasn't a bad person, not from what you could gather at least. Looks always could be deceiving, but you owed it to him that you weren't lying in the hallway downstairs.

The sound of your window opening behind you made you and your thoughts freeze. This couldn't be happening, you couldn't be getting robbed right now. Besides, who robs the fourth floor?

You weren't sure whether to turn around or to duck down or to stand your ground. You had nothing to defend yourself with but your own fists and feet, and at the moment, you weren't sure if you had full motor control.

You opened your eyes as you heard a soft grunt as the person climbed through, and you were barely breathing. Their feet hit the floor, and then you heard silence.

"Wait," You heard them say, and confusion hit you as you realized you recognized that voice, even if you only heard it for the first time earlier today.

You turned around almost at the speed of light, your head whipping to face the window, and where Spider-Man was standing confusedly in front of it. By the looks of it, he was scanning the floor, looking for something.

"I never moved the—" then he quickly looked up, scanning the apartment, and then his eyes landed on you, and you stood up.

Things started to make sense.

All the thuds in the night from upstairs, it was Peter. Entering from the window and bumping into that stand he never moves; As _Spider-Man_. Peter smelling of smoke the day after Spider-Man was on the news for helping people trapped in a burning building the night before? Peter had to have carried you up all those stairs.

"I got the wrong apartment." He said quickly, pointing to the window and backing up hurriedly. "I'm so sorry miss, won't happen again."

"Hold on, wait a second," you said, smiling a little from the disbelief. This was such a shot in the semi-dark. Spider-Man paused.

"Wrong apartment?" You questioned, wanting to see what he would say.

"Uh, I'm just, visiting a friend," he lied quickly, not believable for a second.

"Right." You nodded your head. "Could you tell Peter he's absolutely crazy, and he's super lucky if no one else has found him out by now?"

"You—"

"Know? Yeah." That was all the confirmation you needed. "Hi Peter."

After a moment of stunned silence, you saw the shaded figure of his arm reach up, and it took a second to register as he slowly took off his mask. You reached down to turn on another lamp on the coffee table, and the light was enough to illuminate his face enough to see Peter staring sheepishly across the room at you.

He gave you a small wave. "Hi."


	30. His Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> his wasn't the first time you woke up with a grin on your face, and it definitely wasn't the first time it was because you were dreaming of Peter. 

It was absolutely silent in your room except for your breathing and the sound of graphite scratching against paper. You had been working on homework for the past couple of hours, cramming to get it all finished before school in the morning. You had finally gone to bed around 11 just to wake up two hours later, jumping out of bed to grab your backpack and getting right to work.

Music had been too distracting, even though you usually always did your homework with it on, so you opted for quiet. As much as you wanted to lay back down in bed, your pillow and mattress looking extra inviting at this particular moment, you summoned up fake energy and surprisingly enough it was working.

"Peter! Hey! I gotta ask you a question." You spoke into the phone when you heard the line pick up, holding it to your shoulder with your cheek, gripping your pencil in your hand and impatiently tapping it against your paper. You had a problem and couldn't figure it out, so you decided to call Peter to use his brain.

 _"What? Y/N, it's like three in the morning?"_ You heard his voice answer, low and groggy, as well as his bed shifting as he sat up.

"I know," You chirped. "But I'm still doing homework. Can you help me real quick?"

 _"It's three in the morning."_ Peter repeated. _"Why aren't you asleep? Aren't you tired?"_ You smiled at his concern and blinked the sleep from your eyes.

"I'm so goddy tired, but I forgot this was due tomorrow—today, and it's a review question and I'm forgetting what the hell the mode is." You sighed into the phone. "You remember?"

_"Like, mean, median and mode, that mode?"_

"Yeah! Got any clue?"

_"It's just the number or numbers that appear the most in the data se—"_

"Ah thanks Pete, you're the best!" You said the second after he gave you the answer, cutting his voice off, a growing smile on your face as you counted how many times the number 15 appeared.

 _"Oo I don't think we should let Ned know you said that, you told him he was the best just yesterday."_ Peter chuckled under his breath over the call.

"You've always been number one in my head, Peter," You said softly into the phone, the words mindless as you translated graphs and wrote equations. But it didn't take you long to catch it, your smile disappearing in an instant when there was silence on Peter's side. "Uh, you know, because Spider-Man's the best!" You quickly tried to amend your statement.

 _"Y-yeah. Right."_ Peter stammered from his room. _"You should go to sleep Y/N, we gotta get up for school in like three hours. We have a test, remember?"_

"Frack..." You let out a long groan, closing your eyes and putting your phone down for a second as you ran your hands over your face. "Uh, 9th period, right?"

_"Yeah. It's only on literary devices and the correct ways to use them, should be easy, but you still need sleep to function."_

"Sleep. When do I ever function with it?" You laughed, hearing a soft chuckle from Peter.

 _"Go to sleep."_ Peter chastised playfully. _"I'll help you finish at breakfast tomorrow."_

"You don't have too, I can do it—"

_"Go to sleep, I'm helping you tomorrow."_

You smiled, shaking your head as you put down your pencil. "You just want to go back to sleep, don't you?"

_"That's not what I said, but you know... that too."_

"I'll see you later Peter." You stood up, turning off your lamp and flopping down on your bed. The moment you touched the surface of the mattress, you felt your body melt and your mind scream to be shut off. "I don't know how I'm getting up in three hours though."

_"Want me to be your alarm clock?"_

"Oh no thank you, not again," you said quickly, remembering the last time you said yes and Peter crawled into your bedroom after swinging over to your house and scared the life out of you, hanging above your bed with a grin on his face, two inches from your own and tapped your cheek until you woke up.

 _"What? It's effective!"_ He countered.

"It's downright evil!"

_"If that's evil, I wonder what I'll do that make you call me diabolical. Stealing one of your books?"_

You gasped. "You _wouldn't_!"

 _"You have no idea the things I can do."_ Peter said, and you could clearly picture the grin on his face. _"I_ _ **do**_ _have superpowers."_

"Shut up and go to sleep." You rolled your eyes as you climbed under your blanket.

_"You first."_

"I'm gonna hang up now, 'kay Pete?"

_"I'm gonna call you in the morning. Can't miss that test."_

"I'm gonna be so tired, so if I fall asleep, wake me up. That is, if I even make it to...the end of the day." You yawned mid-sentence, and heard a garbled Peter say something about how you could count on him. "Bye."

"See you later Y/N." Peter yawned, and you knew he was going to bring it up tomorrow that yawning's contagious even over the phone.

Waiting another second, you pulled your phone from your ear and hung up, fumbling in the dark to grab your phone charger, and carefully plugging it in so Sherlock wouldn't think you were an alcoholic. It didn't take long for you to fall asleep once your eyes closed. You had been up nearly twenty four hours, your body was literally begging for sleep. You just knew it would be a battle to tear yourself from it to get to school.

꧁꧂

You found yourself smiling, waking up two minutes before your alarm went off. 

This wasn't the first time you woke up with a grin on your face, and it definitely wasn't the first time it was because you were dreaming of Peter. 

You sighed and shook away the dream when your alarm went off, and you dismissed the noise. Blinking dumbly a few times, you swung your legs over your bed and stood up as much as your muscles argued to lay back down. 

Just as you crawled around half asleep in your room while you were getting ready for school, you putted around half asleep, in a zombie-like state in the halls of Midtown School of Science and Technology. The only thing keeping you awake was the fact that every time you closed your eyes, you saw you and Peter together, and while that was a happy thought, you realized people tended to notice when you were smiling, and when you smile in school when you weren't talking to anyone or without context, it tended to be unsettling. 

In fact, Peter was the only thing that got you through the day, you not falling asleep during classes. You saw him in the morning, and he in fact did help you finish up your homework, gratefully, and you wanted to see him again, in the one class you shared together. Which of course had to be at the very end of the school day. 

The fact that the day wasn't anything out of the ordinary didn't help time move faster. Classes droned on, you fantasized even more about that what if's that could happen if you ever admitted your feelings for your best friend, but eventually, the bell rang and 8th period ended.

"Boo." You heard Peter's soft voice behind you, and you jumped a little before shooting the boy a glare, although it didn't last long. 

"Sometimes, I think you want to get punched," You smiled, feeling Peter's arm wrap around your waist as you walked down the hall to your class together. It was something that had only started recently, a couple months ago, but it was something you loved and never objected. 

"You can try, but my reflexes are too fast." 

"Says the guy who got hit in the face with a paper ball just the other day." 

"To be fair, I was distracted." 

"Yeah, okay," you rolled your eyes, smiling when Peter smiled and the two of you turned into your 9th period class, greeting your teacher who was beaming at the two of you as you passed him at the doorway. 

"If you go now, your favorite spots are still open." Mr. Keenan said quietly to you and Peter, and the two of you raced to the back of the class, you grabbing your window seat, and Peter right next to you. There weren't assigned seats, and it was always first come first serve.

You'd gotten lucky with Mr. Keenan, he was probably your favorite teacher. He was always so happy and optimistic, and made learning fun. He gave the class free time, and there was rarely homework. But most of all, he let you and Peter continue to sit together even though that was probably the worst decision he could've ever made. 

"As you all know, we have a test today," Kennan announced and he class groaned a little in union. "I know, I know, but I figured we could take it easy tomorrow, yeah? How does a free day sound? Play a little catch up to those who need it?" The students stayed quiet, content with his proposition. Mr. Keenan had earned their respect, and they were usually never loud or disruptive or out of hand. "I know you'll all do great. You know all the standard testing rules, no phones, yada yada, and scootch your desks over a bit so they aren't so close together." That last statement you knew was directed towards you and Peter, and shamefully, you watched the boy slowly inch his desk away from where it was directly next to yours so they would be touching. You were the only two students who ever sat that close. 

A hush fell over the room as Mr. Keenan started passing out the packet of a test to the class. You picked up your pen and wrote your name and sighed, pushing back a wave of exhaustion and turning the page to start. 

You felt this test taking up more of your energy than anything else you had to do that day, but you pushed through it, answering the questions, and when you finished a minute before the bell, you didn't even think to spare a second glance as you handed in the test. 

"That wasn't so bad, hm?" Peter asked as he turned left with you, heading with you to your locker even though his was in the opposite direction. 

"If not so bad consists of me nodding off at least four different times." You laughed, turning your head and your eyes instantly catching Peter's warm brown ones. He was already staring at you, intently listening with a soft smile, and you were caught off guard for a second. "I'm so tired," 

"How about you wait until you get home to crash." Peter chuckled, pushing you up from where you playfully slumped against his shoulder, slowly dropping your weight although you knew Peter would've caught you either way. 

"I might not make it." You said dramatically, stopping in front of your locker. "If I don't, you can have my Umbrella Academy comics." 

"Oh no, this is serious," Peter played along. "I know how to get you there fast," He got closer as you could feel his breath on your shoulder. "I only need a couple of minutes to change, I'll swing you," He whispered so only you could hear and you turned around. 

"Over my dead body, Parker," you bit back a smile and pushed him away as you opened up your locker. "I'm never letting you swing me anywhere." 

"I'll get you to try it one day, watch me." 

"Whatever you say Peter."

꧁꧂

Today hadn't been going very well, and for the first time in a while, it was because of one singular reason instead of a bunch of bad things strewn together. 

You were sitting in class, your leg bouncing anxiously, and your biting the top of your pencil from panic as you were trying to figure out what went wrong. This was the fourth class today that said you were missing work from a couple of days ago, which you knew was a complete lie. You always completed all of your work, and you made sure it always got handed in. 

The fourth class in a row. It wasn't a coincidence. 

And as if you needed any further proof, your teachers in your fifth and seventh period classes said they couldn't find your work either. 

Your mind had come up with two possibilities: someone who was in all of your classes was playing a _hilarious_ prank, or it really was a coincidence. A really big, paranoia causing coincidence. 

"Long time no see—" Peter began to joke, catching up to you in the hallway, but when he saw your distressed eyes, he immediately knew something was wrong. "Hey, are you okay Y/N?" 

"Nope." You answered bluntly. 

"What happened?" He asked, concerned. 

"I have to make up a bunch of work that everyone's saying I never handed in, but I _know_ I did!" You blurted, throwing your hands up from frustration. "It makes no sense!" 

"There has to be a mistake," Peter said. "I'm sure they'll find it, and you won't have to redo it all." 

"Too late. I already have all the extras in here." You patted your folder, sighing tiredly because you knew this work was going to take hours. 

"I'll help you then, that isn't right," Peter frowned, linking his arm with yours. 

Again, just like everyday, the two of you walked into English together, greeting Mr. Keenan at the door, and taking your usual seats together. 

As students were bustling in, Peter moved his desk closer to you, and grabbed your hand reassuringly. You smiled for a second before your attention diverted to Keenan as the second bell went off and he clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. 

"First things first, before we get started, I want to hand back the tests from earlier this week. All of you guys did so good, I don't think anyone got lower than an 80!" 

In the back of the class, you and Peter high fived, knowing that the both of you did well, and that this would be some good news for you today. By the time Mr. Keenan had gotten to the back with you guys, a smile appeared on his face as he shuffled through the dwindling stack of tests to find yours and Peter's names. Peter got his test back first, and you heard Keenan chuckle and glance at the two of you before giving you yours. 

Looking over the paper, you saw the red pen with your grade written on the top right corner, and you smiled at the number. But just as you were about to tell Peter, your eyes caught your name. It _was_ your name...your first name. 

Written on the name line on the front cover, was _Y/N Parker._

Your eyes widened, and you blinked, realizing that it wasn't just your eyes playing tricks on you, and you really had wrote Peter's last name as your own. You sucked in a breath, holding it in as things started to make sense. It really still was a stupid reason, but your teachers hadn't seen any of your work because they go by last name. They didn't see yours, so they counted it as an incomplete. 

"What'd you get?" You heard Peter ask, bringing you out of your mini freak-out and back to reality, and you used your arm to block his view of your paper. 

"97 You?" You said and asked rushed. You were trying your best to shield your name as you tried to erase the pen. But your actions did nothing but bring it to Peter's attention. 

"98– why are you trying to erase your name?" 

"No reason." You said quickly. 

"What, did you spell your name wrong? That's hilarious. How bad was it this time?" Peter laughed, grabbing the test from your desk, despite your protests. 

"You don't have to—" you watched in both horror and embarrassment as Peter saw what is was you were trying to erase, and slowly, his eyes found yours.

"That's my name," He stated slowly, and you couldn't help the thought of you were going to try and explain, and chances were you going to spill everything and that would be the end of your friendship, but to your surprise, a large smile appeared on his face, paired with a pink blush spreading across his cheeks. "You know, I was going to wait a little while before I asked you to change your name, but it looks like you're already there." 

"Wh-what?" Your voice came out more of a squeak than you would've liked, but you couldn't really help it. 

"You know," Peter continued softly, so that no one could hear him. "Maybe ask you out on a real date. Go on a bunch of those. Then we'd have to get engaged first, but we would eventually get around to the wedding day." 

"I— um—" you were at a loss for words, Peter's swimming in your brain. Had he really just said what you thought he did? 

"Oh." Suddenly, his expression fell. "Did I— should I not have said that? Do you not— ah, you probably don't—!" 

"No!" You interrupted a little louder than you had meant too. "No," you repeated again, this time calmer. "I do," Multiple emotions hit you at once; relief, shock, happiness, all of them good. Great, even. You felt your entire body warm as you smiled.

Peter's grin returned, and he gently pushed against you. "You should wait for our wedding day to say that, too," 

"Sometimes, I can't believe you, Peter." You shook your head, letting out a breathless chuckle and Peter's hand found yours again. This time in less of a reassuring gesture, and a more loving one. "Y/N Parker," you then muttered under your breath. His name as yours just sounded...right.

"So how about it?" You heard Peter whisper, leaning in closer to you when the class quieted down to listen to Mr. Keenan. 

"The Iliad!" He exclaimed. "Famous story about..." 

"Movie night tomorrow?" You offered, not even wanting to listen to class at this moment, the boy next to you having all of your attention. 

"It's a date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys...I got over my fear of reading Champion by Marie Lu and I finally read it after having reread Legend and Prodigy...I wished I stayed scared because it's so much worse... 
> 
> Great book! Amazing trilogy! In my top five for sure, but oh my *gods*...


	31. It Was Always There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wouldn't ever admit that there was something else you felt when you were with Peter that you never have with anyone else. The main reason being because you hadn't even noticed it yet yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's decently long, just a forewarning. 
> 
> There's also a reference to another chapter, but that's only because I saw the chance and I took it. They aren't technically connected other than the people being the same obviously.
> 
> Warning(s): Idk, does making out fall into the warning section?

"Don't you dare," You said in a low voice, narrowing your eyes at Peter as a grin spread across his lips.

The room was silent and tense. Everyone on the edge of their seat. Peter was being dramatic as always, but he decided to kick it up a notch tonight.

"He's gonna do it." Sam mirrored Peter's face, leaning back in his seat and laughing, which earned a glare from you.

"You wouldn't be this happy if it was happening to you, you glorified chicken man," You grumbled before turning to Peter again, who had his card in his hand, holding it like he was playing Yu-Gi-Oh! and preparing to make the move he was drawing out on purpose. "Put the damn card down, Peter." You groaned.

"I would say I'm sorry, but you've been winning every game, so, I don't really mean it," Peter spoke as he dramatically placed the draw four card down for the entire table to see. You were sitting the opposite of Sam, your arms crossed from annoyance instead of leisure and a frown instead of a smile.

The room let out their sounds in unison. Oohing and sharp inhales. Everyone knew it was coming and yet they still react, making you roll your eyes.

"You do this every round!" You exasperate, leaning to the middle of the table to collect your grievance.

"You _win_ every round!" He exclaimed. "Maybe you shouldn't sit next to me every time." Peter said with a shrug of his shoulders, grin still adorning his lips and you scoffed, knowing that wasn't ever going to happen.

"She wouldn't win if I decided to stop spectating." Natasha said cooly, chuckling in her spot on the arm of the couch, peering over the shoulders of the people she could see.

"You always win whatever game we play with you. It's a blessing you decided to sit this one out." Tony quipped, changing the color to red, making Bucky groan from next to him and reach to the pile to draw a card until he got either a red card or an eight.

"Yeah, but now Y/N's winning every game." Steve looked up from where he was sitting properly on the couch next to Natasha, reading a book when Bucky made his comment, and held back a smile. He knew his husband was a sore loser, and the fact that he was losing to someone _technically_ 85 years younger than him was only making him grumpier. He put down a red six.

"That's why I'm making it my goal for one of us, and not Y/N, to win." Peter said cheerfully, this time not making it too much of a show as he put down yet again other draw four card. "Hey, it's Mr. Stark's fault this time, he changed the color." He argued as you glowered at him suspiciously. Peter had a tendency of stacking up the worst cards possible in a game of Uno just to make it hell for the people next to him. He was definitely one of the most competitive people you knew when it came to games.

"Remind me to kill you later," You said under your breath, directed to Peter as you picked up, again, another four cards, making the total in your hands twelve. Your comment elicited a snort from Tony and laughs from everyone, including Natasha and Steve, and surprisingly, a light chuckle from Vision.

"Come on, we all know you two will just kiss and make up once we're all out of the room." Tony causally said, trying to sneak a peek at Sam's hand as the man put down a four before glancing suspiciously up at Stark, who turned his head and whistled nonchalantly.

You let out a sigh before dropping your head so your chin hit your chest. You saw out of the corner of your eye Peter smile and shake his head.

The two of you had stopped fighting it a little less than a year ago. Sam was the first to make a comment about the two of you being together, when you thought it was clear you and Peter weren't. _Save the goo-goo eyes for behind closed doors_ he had said walking into the communal floor with Wanda, Pietro and Clint. You didn't think you were staring at Peter any differently than you would anyone else, and Peter didn't think he was looking at you any differently either, the both of you refusing to acknowledge the fact that the two of you _were_ staring at each other.

The four of them had just caught you in a moment out of context, and from there, it just spiraled out of control in the blink of an eye. Literally. One second, Pietro was there, the next, he was gone, the pages of yours and Peter's homework flipping from the speed of him passing and coming back, and two minutes later, Natasha, Bucky and Steve showed up. Followed by a less agile Tony, Sam and Bruce three minutes after that.

Neither you or Peter could've ever expected that that would be the day the teasing started was also the day you found out The Avengers as a whole wanted the two of you to start dating.

It was awkward at first, the two of you having had no plans to ever get together. You and Peter were just good friends. You hung out together at the Compound, saw each other in school, but outside of that, you texted here and there, and that was it. But over time, the two of you got used to the comments you knew weren't going to stop anytime soon. You and Peter grew closer despite everyone's assumptions, it only fueling more in fact. You hung out together after school and outside of being in the vicinity of other literal superheroes, and there was rarely a time you weren't on the phone with him while the two of you were apart.

You weren't dating though. It was sort of an unspoken rule between you and Peter that you wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of actually being right, although neither you or Peter knew that they already thought they were right. The thought of you dating seemed ridiculous with everything that was said, that you never even thought about the possibility.

You and Peter were friends, and just friends. That's at least what you told yourself. You feel this way with friends, safe and loved and comfortable enough to do anything, right? You wouldn't ever admit that there was something else you felt when you were with Peter that you never have with anyone else. The main reason being because you hadn't even noticed it yet yourself.

"I think I'm gonna turn in after this game." You yawned, stretching as Bucky grinned, having picked up a draw two card from when Tony switched the colors and playing it on Peter, making the boy frown.

"We haven't even got into the Monopoly phase of the night." Wanda spoke. "That's always almost as amusing as Mario Kart." Her brother grumbling at the name of the game, it being one of the first things he wasn't the fastest at in a while, coming in second or third place every time. Wanda was taking a break from playing, and Pietro was banned from card games.

"That's because we played Mario Kart before Monopoly, and played for longer than usual. It's getting late, guys." You sighed. "I'm tired."

"Yeah, me too." Peter agreed. "If I text May, you think I can crash in your room?" He asked you and you turned towards him, missing how Bucky raised an eyebrow and you caught everyone's attention.

"I don't see why not. Wouldn't be the first time." You said flatly. "Just know it'll be your fault if you wake up maimed."

"You won't hurt me." Peter clicked his tongue, smiling, and bringing one of your own to your face because you knew he was right. You just shrugged your shoulders, trying to show an indifferent expression.

"You kids use protection, right?" You and Peter went into a stunned silence, Peter quickly turning pink and you coughing awkwardly as Steve spoke, the rest of the room stifling laughter. He only just started joining the rest of the team, first being on your side, but eventually, he gave in.

"Well _that_ would've been a perfect chance for a spit take," You said quickly, reaching for your water to take a sip. "You know we don't do anything but sleep, spare the occasional movie nights."

"Yeah." Peter said, proudly playing a reverse card. "But I probably won't be able to stay anyway, I just remembered that May has the day off tomorrow and we already have plans."

"Sad." Tony pretended to pout, playing his turn.

"I would say the same thing, but, Uno, my amigos!" Sam shouted, holding out his last card. "I'd like to see you win this one, Y/N."

"Yeah, yeah," you grumbled, a little disappointed there was a fair chance your winning streak would be lost. "At least I can get a little payback." You said, putting down a draw four card for Peter, and the boy stuck his tongue out at you.

"You _do_ remember what happened last time you got "payback", right?" Peter asked, leaning up against you for a moment to make sure he had your attention, which of course he did. And you did remember. It somehow started a prank war and everyone got dragged in. Might've been the funnest week of your life, if you forget why you wanted to get Peter back for what he did in the first place. "Are you really prepared for that again?"

"The next move is yours. In both ways. Up to you if you wanna start watching your back." You dropped a six on the table.

"Nah, I think you do it better." Peter admitted. "I'll stick to watching yours."

"Aww," Wanda cooed, eliciting the same sound from the rest of the team. "You guys are so cute,"

"So we've been told." Peter nodded, and you smiled, nudging his shoulder with your own before you returned to the game, watching Bucky make his move, then Tony, and then the inescapable turn that signaled the end of the game.

Should've changed the color when you had the chance," Sam whooped, throwing his last card down and standing up, cockily claiming his victory. "Take that, Y/N! Who's the winner now!"

"All right, take it down a level or two Wilson," Natasha said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah." Tony agreed, sighing. "She's only a teenager. Not Barnes."

"It's fine guys," you said, standing up and smoothing your pants legs. Peter standing up with you for no real reason. "But like I said, I'm gonna go to bed."

"Are you really though, or is it going to be another night where I check in on you and you're crying over the death of one of your favorite characters again?" Wanda zeroes in on you, sending you a smirk and you smiled sarcastically at her.

"I'm _tired._ " You stressed, shaking your head and stepping over Bucky's legs to walk in the direction of the elevator. "Night guys."

You got a series of "Good nights" and "see you in the mornings" behind you and you waved. Peter silently and subconsciously followed you, taking a place to your right when you stepped in front of the elevator, him beating you to the up button and giving you a lopsided smile.

"Coming back tomorrow?" You asked him, your tone soft. The both of you ignored the obvious stares coming from the other side of the room.

"I promised Aunt May," He answered and his face fell before a smirk quickly replaced it. "But I bet I can convince her to let you join us, you know she loves you."

"Nah, it's fine Peter," you shrugged your shoulders. "You know I don't want to impose. You haven't spent much time with her lately."

"You never impose." He said quickly with a shake of his head and you looked down at the ground, a light chuckle escaping your lips, your head shooting back up when the elevator bell dinged, the doors opening. "You can come over any time, really,"

"I think you tell me that about a hundred times a week." You smiled, meeting Peter's eyes, and watching as they crinkled around the edges as his smile widened proudly. "I'll think about it."

"You do that."

You couldn't stop the thought of the boy standing in front of you from being a picture of perfection in your head. It surprised you, how you thought about him that way while he was in right in front of you. How happy he was just to talk to you, having followed you just to get another minute of seeing you in. The tiredness showed under his eyes, but it did nothing to take away from his attractiveness; both the physical and personality qualities.

Peter couldn't help but to roam your face before settling on your eyes. You were beautiful, he knew that from the day he met you, but now beautiful had a new meaning. A different meaning, when it came to you.

He let out a soft laugh as he reached over to stop the doors from closing. That's when you realized you were staring. Realized _he_ was staring. Shaking your head, your eyes closed, clearing your mind, you scrunched your face as you stepped into the elevator.

"See you later, Pete." you tilted your head as Peter gave you one last smile for the night.

"Later, Y/N."

You gave him a small wave as the doors began to close again, this time separating the two of you, and you watched him as long as you could, even when he became a little sliver, and then was shrouded completely from view. Sighing, you pressed the button to the third floor, where the bedrooms were, and gave your access password to the otherwise private floor.

You walked the familiar floor, quickly making your way to your bedroom after stealing a PopTart from Thor and Pietro's stash for the morning, considering you didn't give in to the temptation to eat it before then.

You sat on your bed, and just after you turned off the last light in your room, your phone buzzed and your screen lit up. Looking over, you saw it was a text, and once you opened it, more came in.

**Peter-Man: I just realized I never said good night.**

**Peter-Man: So, good night**

**Peter-Man: Sleep tight** ❤️

  
  
  


You scowled at Natasha, hissing in pain when she hit you a little harder with her baton than she normally did, and she gave you a quick apologetic smile, realizing just how much force was put into the blow.

But you swiftly composed yourself. You were sparring with the Black Widow, and you had too unless you wanted to go down in the blink of an eye. Bouncing on your toes, you rolled your head and brought your arms back up, gripping your own baton tighter, ready to strike again.

"You're slowing down. Don't hold your breath." Natasha hastily instructed as you threw a quick right hook at her unguarded side. It wasn't often anyone saw a weak spot like that, so you knew you had to take the chance while you had it.

Of course you didn't land the shot, Natasha leaning back and you missing by centimeters. You pulled back and jumped over her attempt to sweep your legs out from underneath you with her own, and took the other opportunity you saw open up, tumbling to the ground, and while Natasha was about to do a handspring to stand back up, you hooked your arm around her neck as you rolled forward, pulling her back and her back hit the mat after the two of you had rolled.

You felt your heart start to race with the unexpected victory as you pinned Natasha to the mat, your baton to her neck like a dagger, and you watched as she smiled up at you, her red hair wild against the dark blue of the mat, few strands in her face.

"I missed it?" You heard Peter's voice and your head snapped to the direction it came from, seeing Peter jog into the gym, his suit on but his mask in his hands. "Oh come on!"

You knew what he was talking about of course, the sparring matches between you and Natasha were one of the most anticipated. You were the nearly a copy of her the way you were trained; a Baby Widow of sorts. Sam had donned the nickname and it sort of stuck.

You smiled, seeing the small pout appear on Peter's lips, but your smile didn't last long and was instantly replaced with a yelp of surprise when you felt Natasha grab your wrist, making you drop your weapon, and at the same time, kick your leg from underneath you, making you lose your balance, and effortlessly reverse the position the two of you were in. Except this time, she had both batons crossed in an X pushed to your neck.

"Stop letting your boyfriend distract you," she whispered, a smirk appearing on her face before she let up, holding her hand out to you, offering you help up, and you took it with a with a grateful sigh, rubbing the back of your head and casting a glare in Peter's direction when the clapping and cheering started.

"You were so close this time," Pietro's voice zoomed past your ear, and you saw the blur stabilize next to you, his arm curling around your shoulders as Natasha walked away, grabbing her water bottle. "Want to tag team next time?"

"You would do nothing but slow me down, P." You chuckled, holding back laughter when you saw the offended look on his face.

"Slow? Me?" He scoffed and you shrugged his arm off as his sister walked up to the mat with you. It was their turn to fight, and yours to watch from the sidelines.

"You know you're not allowed to use your speed with us normies." You teased, walking away and towards Peter, who held your water bottle in his hands after picking it up from the bench.

"Watch what happens next time I let you get away with stealing my food!" He called back, and you rolled your eyes playfully before smiling at Peter, taking your water from him.

"You cost me the match." You squinted at the boy. "Again."

"Sorry," He admitted sheepishly, leaning up against the wall, and you followed.

"Gotta stop being distracting." You meant that in more ways than just one as the battle of the Maximoff twins commenced. Watching Wanda and Pietro fight was always one of the more exciting ones visually. The flashes of red, blue, and silver filling the room and looking nearly godly. And you knew what that looked like, having met two gods.

"Talking about being distracted, I kinda forgot who I was going up against," Peter whispered, turning towards you.

"You missed your fight, it was with Bucky. You weren't here, so Steve took your place." Peter groaned softly, disappointed. "We can train later if you really want to. I don't have any plans."

"Nah, that's fine." Peter shifted against the wall, stepping closer to you and leaning closer so you could hear him as he lowered his voice even more. "Wanna sneak out?" You raised your eyebrows, intrigued.

"Anyplace in mind?" You asked.

"Trust me?" You snorted, nodding your head. You let him take your hand and the both of you slipped out of the gym. He led you to the roof and pulled on his mask, which made you question what was going on.

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere far," Peter answered. "Jump up and hold on tight." He stepped towards the edge, motioning for you to get on his back, and you hesitantly did so. You knew the last thing Peter would do would drop you, but you didn't think the two of you would leave the compound.

And it turned out you really hadn't. Peter had swung the two of you through the thick of the forest, stopping when he found what he was looking for, which wound up being a small clearing shrouded in dark, only beams of sunlight shining through the trees.

You slipped off his back, your mouth open in awe, and stepped forward and took in the beauty of the mysterious meadow. It was the type of place that emitted both threatening and welcoming vibes, and could easily tilt one way or the other depending on the situation. It was your type of place.

"Woah," you breathed out, stepping onto the grass and watching as small animals skittered across the field.

"Thought you would like it." Peter said happily, stepping up next to you. "I found it looking for somewhere that would make good nature shots for class." You turned your head and saw that he'd already had taken off his mask, a wide smile filling his face.

"It's beautiful," You told him, reaching your hand out into a beam of light. "Hey, this could be the place we've been looking for." Watching Peter's face, you saw your words register in him and excitement appear in his eyes. For the past couple of months, the two of you were constantly trying to find a place where you could have complete privacy, away from eyes and cameras. Away from training and superheroes. Where the both of you could just be yourselves, by yourselves.

"This is definitely it." He agreed and sat down. You smiled as he patted the spot next to him, and you dropped down next to him, crossing your legs underneath you and breathing in the smell of pine and grass.

"How long do you think we'll have before they find us?" You asked, letting your head drop comfortably onto his shoulder and Peter's arm wrapped around your waist, leaning his head against yours.

"Depends on what they think we're doing. Anywhere between five minutes and two hours, I wanna say."

"That's a pretty big timeframe, Pete," you laughed, lifting your head and turning your face to meet him. You hadn't realized just how close you were until you spoke again. "And what do you think _they_ think we'll be doing?"

It was such a mindless question until you saw Peter start to blush, his pupils dilating and his breath hitch in his chest. You could tell his mind was thinking the same thing as you, because your head had began to race with the insane thought of _what if I kissed him?_ , the tension that instantly appeared only proving you right, and you gulped, your eyes brainlessly flickering to his lips, and when you met Peter's eyes again, you saw he had done the same. Thought the same.

There were only two things that could happen at this point, and you and Peter both decided to do the second and most difficult choice.

The both of you instantaneously pushed away, scooting in the opposite direction of the other. Your eyes were glued on the squirrel on the tree in front of you, but since it was yards away, it just looked like a gray blob, and for a good minute at least, the two of you sat in silence, trying to make sense of what just happened.

"That wasn't—"

"I didn't mean to—"

The both of you had started to speak at the same time, and stopped at the same time.

"Nothing happened." You stated, although you were unsure and you knew that could be heard. "Right?"

"Yeah! No, that wasn't anything." Peter quickly nodded his head. "We're good, right?"

"Yeah." You gulped, trying to push down the part of you that still wanted to grab Peter's face and bring his lips to yours, because that part of you _shouldn't_ be there. You never thought it would be.

"Yeah." He repeated softly.

As much as you hated it, the air around you turned awkward, and was slowing filling. There was a battle going on in your chest, a battle you didn't want to fight at the moment, knowing for sure which side would win.

"Wanna head back?" You suddenly prompted, standing up, Peter scrambling to do the same.

"We should— probably, yeah."

Surprisingly, you and Peter had somehow forgot about that day.

Or more appropriately, the both of you pretended not to remember what had happened.

After a day, things had gone back to as if nothing had happened, as if neither of you wanted to _do_ something. The only difference being, that you don't know what would happen, how you—or Peter—would react if someone made one of their usual comments, which was bound to happen any time of any day.

You and Peter were snickering on the couch. Everyone in the dark room was watching as Bucky's mouth and eyes were wide open from shock, all holding back laughter as well.

"Vader is Luke's father?" He gaped, staring at the screen for a moment longer before his wild eyes quickly met everyone else's. "No way! You guys all knew this?"

"Just wait. There's another shocker you're bound to get a rise out of." Tony chuckled, grabbing and handful of popcorn out of the bowl as it was being passed down the line of humans and super humans alike.

"Told you you'd like them." You tapped Bucky's leg with your foot and he smiled over at you before his eyes fell back to the screen in front of him.

"And Y/N made some lightsabers a while back. We'd be happy to share." Peter added.

"Yeah, if you can convince Tony to let them out of his safe from the last time he took them away." Wanda rolled her eyes and Natasha chuckled. You and Peter had sort of accidentally cut a table in half trying to make some power adjustments, and that was the moment Tony realized he probably shouldn't let two teenagers play with weapons capable of mass destruction, even with the safety feature you added.

"Eh, I stole them back a while ago," you shrugged with a dismissive wave of your hand, Natasha and Pietro smiling proudly at you, and Tony and Pepper staring with a mix of amusement and bewilderment on their faces, while Peter full on started to laugh next to you.

"You _what—_ "

"Shh," you interrupted him. "The movie's playing."

You could tell Tony wanted to say something else, but he gave up and closed his mouth when Pepper placed a hand on his shoulder. After a minute, you heard Peter's voice in your ear.

"D'you think he'll want to watch A Phantom Men next, after Return of the Jedi?" He asked, causing you to glance over at Bucky, who had sat up and was now on the edge of his seat, Steve sitting next to him, arm comfortably resting around his waist.

"Probably. We'd have to start it right away, so no one realizes how late it's getting." You whispered back, and Sam noticed.

"Anything you want to share?" He asked, getting yours and Peter's attention, a smirk on his face.

"We're just trying to figure out what movie to watch next," You stated.

"Makes sense, I thought you would've asked to have control over the TV earlier, considering what today is." He said casually, sinking back into the armchair he was sitting, giving both you and Peter, who had become confused, no further context into what today _was_ exactly. He instead looked back at the television, paying attention to the movie instead.

"Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" You asked Peter in a whisper, and he shook his head no.

"No idea."

The room went back to movie viewing mode, silence from the team other than the sound of chewing and occasional sipping of drinks, and Stark surround sound being used to its full capabilities.

Sadly for you though, Wanda yawned, setting off a chain reaction, and causing Steve to ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. what time it was, to which the AI responded with "2:37 AM, Captain," and the television being shut off after the credits rolled, the lights turning back on as everyone started to stand up and file out.

You figured Tony had spoke to Peter, telling him to tell May that he was staying over because it was too late at night to be traveling, because you watched as the boy headed into Pietro's room with the silver haired man. You also wondered if he had made that decision, or if Pietro had offered, because normally, Peter bunked with you.

The next morning had been a little rough, F.R.I.D.A.Y. and Vision waking everyone up at nearly five in the morning for an out of the blue mission. By the time you and the team had got back, everyone was exhausted and sluggish.

The shower you had taken felt amazing, waking you up even more and helping to sort out the tension in your muscles from taking a couple of hits. But in the end, you were still a little sore and just wanted to do something relaxing. Going back to bed wasn't an option since it was nearly one in the afternoon.

"Knock, knock," Peter had announced himself because the door was wide open and you were the only one in the small room.  
"Hey," you smiled at him, looking up before you focused back on the Rubik's Cube in your hands.  
"Still haven't figured it out?" You heard Peter chuckle, and you frowned, knowing that this was his doing. During the beginning of the prank war, he had messed up your newly solved cube, not even letting you revel in the success you felt from solving it in the first place. That's when the real war started.

"Shut up." You told him, although both you and him knew you didn't mean it. The last thing you could've ever wanted was to never hear Peter's voice again.

"Let me try." He asked, stepping towards where you were sitting, and you motioned to the chair at the desk behind you,

"Pull up a seat, I don't feel like moving." You said lazily, and watched out of the corner of your eye Peter walk towards you.

"But you're in the spinny one!" He complained, pushing on the corner of your chair, spinning you around, and a smile spread across your lips.

"So? I think I deserve it, after saving your ass out there," you giggled.

"You didn't save me, I was doing just fine!"

"Say what you want. I still took a couple punches for you."

"I think I should get the chair. I beat up more bad guys than you." Peter began to argue and you raised an eyebrow.

"You might've took on more, but I'm hurt and don't have healing powers. You know this is the comfier chair, too."

"Who knows how long you've been sitting here?"

"About an hour or so." You told him.

"So, my turn," Peter said, grinning. You knew he was just playing around at this point, and you wanted to see how far he was going to take it this time.

"I'm not moving." You told him, grinning as he spun you again, grabbing the tops of the chair with both of his hands on either side of your head to stop you, facing him.

"Please?" He asked, pushing his bottom lip out and looking at you with wide eyes.

"You've got to do better than that, Peter," you said teasingly, shaking your head, your eyes falling back down to the puzzle in your hands. Mainly to avoid the puppy dog face he was giving you. Peter knew that you had the hardest time rejecting him when he gave you that look.

But your eyes shot back up when you felt your heart jump as Peter pushed your chair back, tilting you on an angle. His foot was on the wheel to stop you from moving, and you were about to ask what he was doing, but your voice was caught when you felt that same tension from in the clearing a couple of days ago come back in an instant.

You'd never seen Peter from this angle before, looking up at him rather than him being parallel to you. The light he was blocking, casting you in shadow, was highlighting him, making him seem like he was glowing.

You realized in a split second that you had basically asked for it. Even unintentionally. You couldn't say anything out of the pure wonder of what Peter was going to do next, your brain trying to make a decision itself.

You saw the hesitation in his brown eyes, looking darker than normal just from the shadow, but otherwise still radiating the same warmth and comfort, as well as something new and different.

You think you had nodded. Not very noticeably, but just enough to let Peter know. It was an unconscious action, really, one that led to Peter's lips on top of yours, moving in perfect sync like this was something you had done hundreds of times before.

You struggled to put down the Rubik's Cube on the table you were sitting next to, almost missing the surface in your rush to wrap your arms around Peter's neck to bring him closer.

Peter started to pull back, not to separate the two of you, but to lift you from your chair, stand you up, so he can push you against the table, the position easier and more comfortable, his hands finding spots; one on your waist and the other in your hair, and planting them there.

Your senses seemed muted to the outside world, only tuned to hear Peter, feel Peter, smell his light cologne, taste the chapstick you forced him to start using after he complained about his chapped lips too much for your liking.

"Woah!" The sudden voice made you and Peter jump apart, both of your breathing heavy as your heads sharply turned to the doorway where Clint was standing, still suited up, his eyes wide and a grin appearing. "I caught them. F.R.I.D.A.Y, I repeat: tell everyone I finally caught them!" He spoke quickly and excitedly, glancing over his shoulder as the three of you heard the voice appear over the intercom in the distance.

You felt your face heat up, Peter's already there seconds before you, and the both of you let go of each other right as Pietro came racing in, bringing Wanda with him, him exclaiming before he sped off again, no doubt to tell everyone that it was true.

It didn't take long for everyone else to show up, the small leisure room you were in being on the same floor as the showers and rooms and everyone one went there to relax after the mission, less than a minute.

Soon, the room was full of cheering and clapping. You knew your face had to be bright red as you held it embarrassingly in your hands, your heart still beating a mile a minute. You witnessed a couple of people exchange some money, and gaped at the fact that your closest friends bet on you and Peter.

"How fitting," Natasha chuckled with her arms crossed and leaning against the doorway. "Finally caught you on the day of your anniversary. We didn't interrupt the big event, did we?"

"Should've closed the door."

"Anni- anniversary?" Peter stammered, and the adults shared a collective gasp.

"You forgot it was your one year anniversary?" Sam stared at the two of you, who were visually confused again. "Wow. Shame on you."

"Wait, wait, wait a minute," you held your hands out after you saw Wanda take a picture. "You guys thought we were dating this entire time?"

"You weren't?" Tony asked slowly, the room quieting down.

"What? No!" You shook your head. "We just stopped trying to argue with you guys."

"Yeah, because you were actually dating," Bucky stated.

"No..." Wanda breathed out a chuckle. "She's telling the truth."

All eyes turned to her and Tony was the first to open his mouth. "Excuse me, you were the first person to tell us that they were dating in the first place!"

"Well, that's because I could _very_ clearly tell that they loved each other. I barely had to dig into their heads!" She countered.

"Hey!" Peter started, but then stopped, not sure what else to say, letting his arm fall to his side.

"Well this just got awkward then," Pietro laughed. "Let's let them get back to what they were clearly enjoying, yeah?"

You and Peter were stunned to the point that you couldn't move your feet, only watching and blinking as the eight adults filed out of the room. The next few moments were silent before Peter was the first to collect his thoughts enough to speak.

"So what do we do now?" He asked slowly.

"Well..." you glanced over at the door, which someone had the courtesy to close behind them. "It _is_ our anniversary."

Peter shook his head, a laugh bubbling out of him before he pressed his lips to your again, happy that you said that instead of something along the lines of you not wanting to try. Because he knew Wanda was right, she had to be because she was never wrong. He'd been in love with you for a year, and according to her, you had felt the same for him for just as long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick question: thoughts on fics with OC's and would you read those too?


	32. Straight Outta Quarantine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself I wouldn't write something taking place during quarantine, but I couldn't resist this idea when it popped into my brain. The title really doesn't go with the contents of the chapter, I just thought it was slightly funny and couldn't think of anything better.
> 
> Oh, my friend actually helped me through writing this one over a video call. He had ideas of his own to add to my main idea of the chapter.
> 
> Warning(s): *sigh* this chapter does take place current day with COVID-19, so if that's something uncomfortable or triggers you, I'd advise you proceed with caution although nothing is actually specifically stated. Honestly, it's a pretty clean chapter. Does that mean Peter would be 18?  
> Some...ahem...maybe? sexual implications??  
> Semi Detroit: Become Human spoilers
> 
> This is honestly just a short and sweet chapter

"What month is it?" You asked flatly as you opened your eyes.

You were currently laying on the couch in your living room. The room was decently quiet, the fan blowing in the corner, your sister consumed in her phone in her room, and your mom sitting in the armchair next to you filling out paperwork for her job while Friends played on the TV in the background.

"It's still May, _still_ Monday."

"How?" you asked rhetorically, sitting up. "Did I fall asleep?"

"When was the last time you remembered checking the time?" Your mom asked and you turned your head to her.

"Uh, like 11:30?"

"It's 11:32." You flopped back down on the couch, thinking about this being the day you finally gave up on the world.

"Noooo..." you groaned, dragging your hands down your face.

You've been confined to your house for nearly three months now and you haven't had any physical contact with Peter or any of your friends in that time frame, only leaving the house occasionally, and most of the time have been for grocery runs. Your mom wanted to keep travel outside to as much as a minimum as she could because she was an essential worker and out nearly everyday, and she didn't want to get her two daughters sick.

You don't know when you lost your sense of time, barely having a grip on it before quarantine started, but days merged into each other, no real beginning and end. Your sleep schedule was no more, and you were almost out of things to do to entertain you.

But what killed you the most, was that you and Peter were limited to FaceTime calls only. It was automatically your favorite time of day when you were on a call with him. You desperately wanted to see him in real life, touch him and hold him close and never let him go again.

You knew he hated quarantine too. As much as he hated the decision, he chose to take a break from being Spider-Man until the cases being reported calmed down. May was working crazy hours at the hospital, and he was home alone a lot more now.

Going three months without spending any time with your boyfriend was insufferable. As much as it was selfish, you craved his arms around you and the soft kisses he pressed to your head at random times, they were the most comforting things you've ever experienced and if there was anything you needed right now, it was comfort. You also missed running your hand through his hair to see the peaceful look and contented hum that he let out when you did so, you missed swiping your thumb over his eyebrows to smooth them, attempting—and failing—to tame his wild left one that grew in the way it wanted to and watching him laugh at your face that would always contort to a mix of concentration and frustration.

"Why don't you do something, Y/N," your mom told you, pushing her hair behind her ear as she put her pen back to her work papers.

"Like what?" You asked, sitting back up and sighing.

"How about you distract yourself. Go cook or something?" She prompted and you smiled weakly. You hadn't had lunch yet, and you figured you had nothing better to do, so you stood up and made your way to the kitchen.

Narrowing your eyes as you scanned through the cabinets and refrigerator, trying to decide on something to make, you ignored the urge to just make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the three of you.

It took you a good seven minutes to make a decision, but you did. You had a pot on the stove full of water to boil, and you were currently starting an alfredo sauce in a separate pot. You had seasoned chicken and put it into the preheated oven ten minutes prior. You knew this was more of a dinner meal, but you couldn't care less because it was what you wanted to eat.

As you were adding milk, stirring with a whisk to dissolve the small clumps of flour and butter that were left, you heard your phone ring. Looking over to where it was on the counter, you saw it was a video call from Peter and you had to stop yourself from jumping from excitement and happiness.

Quickly reaching over to accept the call with one hand, you kept stirring with the other.

 _"Hello sweetheart,"_ you heard his voice greet you the second he saw the call connect. You smiled confusedly when you saw his face. His eyes were crinkled from smiling, but that was the one of the only clues that gave his expression away, the grey mask across his mouth shielding the smile you loved to see so much.

"Hey babe." You answered. "You're outside?" You asked the obvious, your hand with your phone faltering as you added the next cup of milk, the white sauce slowly thickening.

 _"Jus' taking a quick walk,"_ he replied. _"What're you up too?"_ His voice was muffled almost the same way it was when he talked to you through the Spider-Man mask.

"Cooking." You told him, the smile on your face growing. "This day has been going on way too long, and I need something to do to speed up time."

_"Yeah, I feel like that a lot too. I'm officially out of things to do back home, I finished playing every video game I've ever started."_

Your ears perked up and you turned your head to face him. "Even Detroit?" You asked curiously, and Peter laughed. _God,_ that laugh.

 _"Played the last of it last night actually."_ You saw his brown eyes soften a little with sadness. _"I think I'm too nice of a person, because I couldn't save Kara and Alice."_ You gasped but then nodded understandably, knowing exactly what he had done without him telling you.

"Hold on a sec. I need both hands, lemme put you down somewhere." You spoke up, staring at the boy through the screen and putting your whisk down as he looked at you, waiting patiently after nodding his head. You angled the camera towards where you were standing in front of the stove, balancing it against a container or cereal on the counter so you would be in frame. "Alright, I think we're good." You smiled as you opened a bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and slowly started dumping it into the white sauce, Usually Parmesan went in, but you had to make do with what you had.

 _"What are you making?"_ Peter asked curiously, squinting as he tried to get a better look before watching his surroundings to make sure he didn't bump into anyone or anything.

"Chicken normandy alfredo noodles," you chirped. "Not sure if that's the proper name, but that's what I'm calling it."

_"Mm that sounds good. Don't remind me of how hungry I am."_

You were about to reply when you heard your mothers voice ask you a question from the living room. "Are you on the phone, Y/N?"

"Yeah, with Peter," you called back, turning your head in her direction for a second before continuing to stir the sauce, cheese slowly melting. "Anyway, anything exciting happen lately?" You said to the boy with a teasing voice, watching him roll his eyes because the both of you knew there wasn't any news.

 _"No, but I am deciding to be a rebel right now."_ He said, making you quirk up an eyebrow and stare at him cautiously.

"You're not being stupid, are you?" You saw the water was starting to boil, so you opened the fettuccine noodles and eased them into the water, turning down heat on the stovetop before adding red pepper flakes to the sauce.

_"Stupid? Maybe. But I swear, it's going to be worth it."_

"Peter," you chided softly. You didn't want him getting sick even though you knew out of the two of you, he would be the less likely. "What are you doing?"

 _"It's a surprise!"_ He told you, his eyes brightening and his smile appearing again.

"A surprise?" You quizzed, trying to get more than a simple answer from him, but he stayed silent, and you paused, taking a moment to appreciate the angle he was holding his phone at, giving you a clear view of his face from slightly below, his jaw sharp, his eyes bright, and his hair blowing slightly from the wind. You could see he was wearing his backpack, and that only raised more questions.

_"You'll see."_

"This is either going to be amazing or terrible." You said softly, shaking your head and letting out a short laugh as you stirred the noodles with a spoon before turning the sauce off the heat, adding last minute ingredients that composed of pepper and onion powder.

 _"Amazing. For sure. Unless I'm not allowed in."_ Peter laughed and his words made you more curious.

"Are you going to tell me, or leave me hanging?"

 _"It's a_ surprise. _"_ He repeated. _"It's for you, so no, you can't know."_ You frowned at him before paying attention back to what you were cooking. _"What about you, anything worth talking about?"_

You thought about the question, eventually shrugging as you stared into the pot of noodles as you stirred. "Not really. Y/S/N has been on her phone basically 24/7, talking with her friends and watching YouTube. Mom's been in and out of work too much to spend much time with her, she's had to pick up more shifts but you already know that. I'm just dying of boredom. And missing you."

 _"I miss you too, Y/N,"_ Peter told you softly, bringing his phone closer to his face, and you watched as he turned a corner, shadow from the buildings washing over him. Something told you that the street looked familiar, but you couldn't see much detail from how he was holding his phone. He glanced at you, meeting your eyes through the screen and noticed the tinge of sadness in them. _"Have you watched anything lately?"_ He asked you. A distraction.

"I started rewatching The Umbrella Academy earlier, I'm hyped for season two." You answered him. "If I'm in the mood to watch anything, that's probably what I'm gonna put on."

_"I wanted to rewatch that too. Would you restart with me?"_

"Sure." You answered. "I only watched the first two episodes last night, it won't take long for you to catch up."

_"Well, that's not really what I mean."_

"What?" You asked before your eyes opened a little wider than they were, getting a glimpse of a door closing behind him, one that looked suspiciously like the front door to the apartment building you lived in. You told your heart to calm down, in case you were seeing things, but the thought was already in your head and it was hard to push it away.

Peter surprisingly kept his cool, even when he saw your face, acting like he didn't realize what he was doing to you. By now, watching him head up stairs and go past doors, you knew for a fact where he was.

_"Still cooking?"_

You ignored him. "Mom?" You turned off the heat under the noodles, they were done anyway, and you dashed out of the kitchen, hearing Peter chuckle over the phone behind you, and the woman turned her head to face you. "Could you drain the noodles please? Thank you!" You told her as you left your phone in the kitchen.

Maybe you were a little too enthusiastic as you flung open the front door, your confused mother behind you, but you didn't care. It was cheesy, you bringing your hands to your face to hide your grin as you saw Peter walking towards you from the end of the hall, hanging up the call and stuffing his phone in his pocket as you headed towards him, but that didn't matter to you either.

The first thing you did was fling your arms around him, squeezing him tightly like you weren't sure if he was there and you had to make sure, and Peter reciprocated the hug. You pulled back quickly, and you saw the confusion in Peter's eyes. You didn't want to let go of him, but not kissing him for so long was a greater power and you cut off his question as you pulled his mask down, pressing your lips to his for as long as you could before the two of you had to break apart, your smiles too wide to continue. You smiled into his eyes, running your hand through his brown curls, which were a little longer than usual but that didn't bother you in the slightest.

"You know you're gonna have to shower too now, right?" Peter mumbled against you before kissing your forehead, bringing you back in for another hug. So that's what was in his book bag.

"Don't care," you spoke muffled into his shoulder. "Worth it."

"Told you."

You stood there in blissed silence for a couple of moments before you heard your sisters voice behind you. "Mom said to ask what was up— _oh_." You stifled a laugh, Peter loosing his grip on you as the both of your turned back towards your open apartment door. "Peter's here!" Your sister called into the apartment, her attention going back to her phone as she headed back inside.

He pressed a quick kiss to the side of your head before the two of you walked to your apartment. When you got inside, you saw your mother standing in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room, at first a look of annoyance, but then it softened to acceptance when she saw the both of you.

"If you're staying, I hope you have something to change into," she told Peter, and he took for his backpack, holding it in front of him.

"I already planned it, Ms. Y/L/N," you rolled your eyes and smiled at the formality. "And I'm prepared to shower if you want me too."

"That would be greatly appreciated. You too Y/N." Because she knew you would've have been able to hold back from touching him. She turned back towards the kitchen, and you noticed she took the chicken out as well, but then she quickly turned around, eyeing you and Peter. "Separately, I'd prefer." She made sure to say.

"Of course." You told her, pushing Peter towards the bathroom. Your plans to grab a change of clothes from your room, but not before pulling him in for another kiss.

"You gotta let me go in, you'll get to spend time with me after we're both clean." Peter chuckled and you reluctantly let him go.

"I don't want you to leave though," you admitted, knowing that at the end of the day, that's what was going to happen.

"May's got an overnight shift. I'm here for longer than you think. Now come on Y/N, if we slip in now I don't think she'll notice," Peter said, his voice a mischievous whisper. He must've changed his mind from just a moment ago. Any other day, you probably would've argued the side of getting caught, but you said nothing, just blushing as you let go of his hand and raced to your room, Peter closing the bathroom door and you heard the water turn on. It didn't take you long to grab a new outfit, just grabbing the first things you saw, and you locked the bathroom door behind you, joining Peter to start making up for as much time as you lost togather as you could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeyyy I just realized my birthday's Saturday. Cool.


	33. Contrition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... this could be the day they lost a member of their team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a pretty big chance this one is going on the list for getting an unplanned second part in the unforeseeable future.
> 
> Prepare yourselves.

The heart monitor beeped steadily as Peter laid unconscious on the bed. A grim reminder that a member of the Avengers was in a critical condition; a member of the team of superheroes who could do anything.

He had been out for a couple of hours at this point, but Bruce said that he should wake up by the morning if it wasn't too late. If they weren't too late. The injuries he sustained would've killed a normal person, but luckily for Peter—if you could even say that—he wasn't a normal person. His powers kept him on the brink of death, kept him from dying. But he also wasn't getting better. And if he was, it was taking too long.

You watched as May sat in the chair next to him, clutching her nephews hand tightly in her own. Tony had sent a car for her the moment they were on the quinjet speeding back to New York, the man himself was pacing the floor by the end of the bed.

_"All right, we're coming up on the drop point." Steve announced, pulling back from the screen next to Clint with the coordinates. "Everyone remember the-"_

_"Yes, I think everyone remembers the plan. You've drilled it into our heads at least fifty time in the past two hours, Cap." You interrupted him. Most days you wouldn't, but you heard his voice repeat the same directions too much for your liking, and you were fresh from detention. He had already unknowingly struck a nerve. Steve sent you a hard look because of the attitude before his gaze softened and he sighed, continuing._

_"Natasha, you're our intel agent. Bucky's going to be there to watch your back, the two of you rush through and don't worry about us. Vision and Sam, you're perimeter. Me and Wanda are keeping the main fight on the ground with us, Clint and Tony, you guys get them from above. Bruce, you monitor our activity from in here and tell us if anything changes. There shouldn't be need for a Code Green." Steve summed up the plan before turning back towards where you and Peter were standing together. You were standing with an annoyed expression across your face, your arms crossed angrily while Peter was just happy he was going to be able to be in the field with the Avengers. "You two remember what you're doing?" He asked the question on purpose, just to make you repeat it._

_"Keep our distance, take care of the stragglers." You repeated flatly, Peter bouncing from excitement._

_"Good. We're all on the same page." Tony clapped his hands together. "Let's go get this show on the road."_

You kept Wanda from consoling you. You had too much on your mind, and as much as it might help, you didn't want her to pull forward some good memories, calm you down just enough that you would relax and not slowly tear yourself apart for what happened to Peter.

Because this was on you.

If it wasn't for you, Peter's aunt wouldn't be crying, waiting for her nephew to wake up. Tony wouldn't be pulling his hair out, finding ways to blame himself for Peter getting hurt. The rest of the team wouldn't be standing in the same room in different clumps, giving each other space, in silence, thinking about the chance that this could possibly be the time Peter didn't wake up.

That this could be the day they lost a member of their team.

_"This is stupid." You grumbled to yourself as you kicked a man in the gut; the only person you've encountered the entire mission, sending him backwards to where Spider-Man knocked him out with one solid punch, webbing him to the ground so when he woke up he wouldn't go anywhere._

_"Yeah, but it's something," Peter heard, of course he heard, and he stepped forward to stand next to you, the both of you looking in opposite directions, just in case, so nobody could catch the two of you off guard._

_As if anyone really was coming._

_Cap had said to stay behind for stragglers, but what that really meant, was that him and Tony had stationed you and Peter at the main entrance. If any of the bad guys were going to try and fight, they would use the side doors because that would bring them to the fight quicker. And if there was any chance they would use the main doors, Sam or Vision would take them out before they could step through._

_The rest of the time, you and Peter were just kicking your feet against the floor, ignoring the urge to try and find danger._

_It was so tempting, you could literally hear the battle coming from around you, the gunfire and punches landing, you could see Wanda's red wisps, Iron Man's yellow-white beams. Both over the comms and from the room no more than fifty feet away; where it was all going down._

_You glared at Peter, who for some reason, wasn't arguing your side, protesting with you. Every single time the team went out for missions, the two of you would always get left behind, even after trying to tag along on missions, because you knew you could do something. But now that the both of you actually were on a mission, now that you have a chance to fight but they won't let you, he's just accepting it._

_"Look, I know you have the whole Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man thing going on, where you go out and fight crime nearly everyday, but some of us, I'm talking about me if you didn't know, don't get to leave the base or see any action at all." You spat out, making him turn his head towards you. "They're treating us like kids! We can hold our own."_

_"But we are kids-"_

_"You can't say that, because that's not what you were thinking with that whole Vulture thing in September."_

_"I-"_

_"Ah, do I hear young people losing focus?" Tony's voice crackled over the comms before a grunt from him was heard being pushed back into a wall. "Sounds like you aren't committed to the mission."_

_"Leave us alone, you dignified trash can." You shot back, seeing the white eyes on the Spider-Man suit widen in time with Peter's eyes at the insult. "You did this on purpose, so your precious kids wouldn't get hurt!"_

_"No, this is actually the way we ease every agent into the field." Steve responded on Tony's behalf, knowing what the man would've retorted with, and it wouldn't have helped the situation. "You need to prove you can do the little stuff before we go and put your lives on the line."_

_"Then you should've had us on lookout duty watching Nat's back instead of Bucky!" You argued, shrugging off Peter's hand as he tried to keep you in place, and instead you started walking around. "Give us an important job, instead of basically telling us to sit here and look pretty."_

_"In that case, I think you're doing a really good job..." Peter said softly, but you didn't hear him over the exasperated groan you let out when Vision started on how in reality, this was also a lookout job._

_"All right kids," Natasha's voice appeared smooth and unwavering. "I'm all set here, but we need to get out now. We have company."_

_"She's right." Surprisingly, Bruce spoke up. Usually he was silent, always trying to distract himself from the fight. "We have other aircraft, three at least. Who knows the amount of people each are holding. It's too risky to stay. If you have the intel, get out now."_

_You sighed, your face still set with anger, and you found Peter, his gloved hand outstretched towards you for you to take. He knew that getting you back on the quinjet probably would've been the best thing to do at the moment, so you could get angry up there without the risk of getting caught._

_But then you heard an explosion._

You hadn't spoken a word about how you felt to anyone. You refused too. Too many emotions were running through your head, too many for you to be able to to focus. To sleep.

Pepper had forced everyone to go to bed, literally having to drag Tony away from the unconscious boy, reassuring him that Peter would be okay. His heart was strong, so were his lungs. His brain showed no signs of damage, he was going to be okay. But still, everyone wanted to be there when he woke up, just to make sure.

You stole Clint's move and snuck out of your room by pulling yourself up and into the vents, knowing that if you opened your bedroom door and walked in the hall, you would alert everyone else. Because like you, they probably weren't sleeping, but knew they should be.

No one held the guilt like you did. Not even Tony. It was your fault, and solely your fault. Tony and Steve knew what they were doing, what was best for the two of you, but you refused to listen to them. And it wasn't even you who suffered. You should've been the one to suffer.

You dropped down just outside the lab, your footsteps near silent as you walked into the sectioned off part of the room where Peter was still sleeping.

You stared at him, his chest rising and falling in spaced out shallow breaths. Biting your cheek, you reached over and pushed his hair from where it was against his head, now dry from where it was previously matted against his skin from sweat and blood.

"You brave idiot," you muttered under your breath, tightening your jaw and gulping as you took the seat May had sat the last couple hours in. "So stupid."

You felt like you had to make sure he was okay. Make sure he woke up. Because it should've been you. You should've been the one in that bed.

But then again, if you were the one in that bed, you would've been dead hours ago.

_"Is everyone okay?" You could hear the panic in Sam's voice as the rumbling started, you and Peter quickly finding your footing and standing up._

_You let out a breath of relief as everyone sounded off. They might've gotten a little hurt, but they were all alive._

_"They took out most of their own men with the explosive, but they're dropping more. Falcon, Vision, we need the backup."_

_Your heart flipped from opportunity. "We can help—!"_

_"No!" Tony shouted firmly before you can finish. "Get to the jet with Banner. You and Spider-Man. Now."_

_You bit your tongue, holding back the millions of things you wanted to say. "Come on Y/N," Peter's voice was low, so that only you and the comms could pick up what he was saying. "It's for the best. They can handle it."_

_Another explosion._

_"Come on!" Peter grabbed your hand and pulled you with him toward the door. As much as you didn't want to leave, you started to go with him._

_The sun was harsh, the beams of light that made it past the thick forest blinding you as you stepped out of the dim hidden base and into the woods. Bruce and the quinjet was two miles northeast. Peter started to pull you closer, and you knew he was going to swing you so the both of you could get there faster than on foot. But the both of you stopped when the building behind you started to collapse on itself, none of the team visibly out of danger yet._

_"Y/N,_ no _." Peter started firmly as you pushed him away, tugging out of his grasp. "They're going to be okay, we need to go—"_

_"Does it look like they're okay?" You cut him off, your voice filled with panic, the fear rising above the anger. "They're going to be buried alive, we need to help!"_

_Peter stayed still, you could only picture the pleading look he was giving you beneath the mask, and it bugged you how clearly you could see it in your mind. Shaking your head at him, you ran in the opposite direction, towards the collapsing base._

_You didn't get very far before you nearly tripped, feeling your body being pulled back. Before you could fall though, you landed into Peter's chest. You opened your mouth to argue as he forcefully turned you around, but your sounds were muffled by his lips cutting off your own. It took too long for you to register what he was doing, because by the time it was over, you heard him whisper "I'm sorry," before you felt Peter send you flying backwards into some bushes, you only catching a glimpse of him pulling his mask down and then running into the burning base._

_Hurt and confused, you started to stand up. But it was too late. The biggest explosion of them all came, and you watched as the entire roof fell, the walls crumbling down._

_You gasped as you heard broken screams from over the comm in your ear, your hands flying to your mouth and tears starting to fill your eyes from both your emotions and the smoke filling the air._

_"Som...dy...Peter!"_

_"He's...apped."_

_"Wanda!...lp!"_

_You were planted to the ground, watching as the fire still burned brightly and sent out heat waves. You couldn't tear your eyes away from the doors, watching and waiting, ignoring the commands asking if anyone had sights on you._

_It felt like an eternity when in reality you were only standing out there two minutes. Two minutes before you saw Natasha, Clint, Bucky and Steve burst out of the barely standing doors, coughing and covered in soot but running full speed towards you. Vision, Wanda, Sam and Iron Man took to the skies. You searched for Peter, before you finally saw him. The red blob laying helplessly in Tony's arms as Iron Man raced through the air with him in the direction of the quinjet._

_You heard the shouts, telling you to run, but you couldn't. Peter knew._

_Peter_ ** _knew_**.

_You felt your body being lifted from the ground, metal arm wrapping around your back, flesh under your legs, and then the feeling of movement._

_Bucky caught your eyes, sending you a sympathetic look as you started to sob, burying your head in his shoulder as your trembling arms wrapped around his neck._

"Y/N." The sound of May's tired voice made your head shoot up. "Sweetie, it's four in the morning, why aren't you in bed?"

You shook your head, squeezing your eyes shut and forcing them back open as much as they wanted to stay closed "I'm so sorry May. This is my fault..." you spoke to her for the first time since the mission. You could feel her frown before you even looked up as if it was it's own look boring into your head and forced yourself to meet her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I shouldn't have—"

"It isn't any more your fault than Peter's. If anything, it's Tony Stark's fault. He should've known better than to let two teenagers go on a dangerous mission." She walked over to the chair, placing a hand on your shoulder, her eyes landing back on the peaceful boy.

"It wasn't supposed to be dangerous!" The words came out abruptly. "No one knew about the backup coming, we don't even know who these guys are. We knew there was enough in the base for the team to take out safely, no one knew about the bombs." You inhaled shakily. "He wouldn't have- he wouldn't be like this if I had just listened to Tony. Steve. Listened to _him_."

"Y/N—"

"He saved me, May," you told the woman, her eyes opening a little wider at the words but then settling back down because she knew that's the type of person Peter was. "He saved me, because he knew if I went in there, I would've died. He went in there to save me, instead of staying safe outside."

May didn't say anything about Peter or the mission, instead pressing a kiss to your hair and speaking softly. "You should get some sleep. I promise I'll wake you up when he does."

Your head felt like lead as you nodded and you stood up. You knew she was right, you were nearing twenty-four hours without sleep, but you didn't want to leave. You stepped in the direction of the open doors that led out of the lab, but not without accepting the tight hug May pulled you into. You were grateful for her. Ever since you met Peter, she stepped in as a parental figure for you as well. She thought of her as much as her daughter as Peter was her son.

_"Clint, get us in the air." Natasha's voice was low and dark as she spoke the command, sliding into the copilot's seat to help him._

_"Bruce!" Tony yelled. "Bruce, help us!" He fell to his knees, carefully laying Peter down on the ground, the ramp closing the second after Steve, you and Bucky stepped on._

_"What happened? Are-are you guys okay?" The man scrambled up and rushed to get to where Peter and Tony was, the boy moaning softly, barely hanging on to consciousness as Tony ripped off his mask, having F.R.I.D.A.Y. scan his body to see what was wrong exactly. "Oh my god," Bruce gasped when he saw Peter on the ground, jagged piece of pipe piercing his side._

_"He's lost at least a liter and a half of blood. Peter, stay with us." Tony said quickly. "We need to get him back to the Compound now, so we can remove this safely. He got trapped yanking Wanda and Natasha out of the way. Tell us what we can do to keep him awake."_

_"Uh, I-I think-" Bruce began to stammer but Tony raised his voice._

_"Tell me right now!" Tony shouted. "What do we have!"_

_Bruce jumped, but caught himself, standing back up and flinging open the emergency first aid kit. "I- some adrenaline. There's nothing else I can do right now. Not here,"_

_"Give it." Tony demanded, exiting the Iron Man suit and hasitly patting Peter's cheek. The boys eyes responded, fluttering, glimpses of brown through his eyelashes. "Come on kid. Come on Peter, keep your eyes open."_

There was a quick knock on your bedroom door and you stood up, knowing it only meant one thing because it wasn't followed by a voice. Earlier, around six, Wanda knocked and asked if you wanted breakfast but you refused. This time, the door opened and you could read Wanda's face, her eyes told you everything, and you nearly ran out.

Your breath caught in your throat when you saw Peter awake and smiling. The team was already all in the room, both crowding around him but giving him his space, Tony and May being the only people directly next to him.

You felt relief; he was okay. Other than him still looking obviously tired, and a little pale from the blood loss, he was okay.

But then your gut dropped. You thought you would be able to face him, relax, now that you knew he was awake and alive, but as Wanda walked by you, her movement catching his eyes, he quickly found yours.

"Y/N," your name left his mouth in a surprised whisper, his voice gravelly and dry from hours of not using it.

You suddenly felt terrible, worse than you have been feeling this entire time, because while you were happy, you were also mad at Peter, as much as that also made you feel like a horrible person; being mad at the boy who saved your life. You couldn't talk to him, as much as you also wanted too. The room went silent as all eyes turned to you, waiting for you to step forward. But you never did.

Instead, you turned around, only catching a brief glance of the hurt that cast over Peter's face before you found your way to the stairs, knowing that if you waited for the elevator, someone would catch up to you and ask you to stay.


	34. Road to Redemption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WROTE THIS AT 3 AM, SLEEP DEPRIVED, RUNNING ON NOTHING BUT THE POWER OF FANFIC! Okay, seriously, this came out of nowhere. I just got done reading a really good fic, and just stared at a blank chapter, and just wrote whatever the hell was on my mind, literally making it up as I go with no real plan as to what I was doing. Looked it over 8 hours later, and I'm actually decently proud of this. Super surprisingly.
> 
> Warning(s): [Potential Trigger Warning] light language, violence, thoughts of self-harm

Even with the blindfold, you knew exactly where you were.

The cool metal of the chair you were sitting in sent a shiver down your spine and a grimace contorted on your features the more you became conscious, the more you became aware of the dull throbbing in your head from where they hit you. You flexed your fingers, the only thing you could do because your wrists were bound with rope. As well as your legs.

"Hell _ooo_?" You sang out, hearing your voice reverberate against the walls in a slight echo. Sighing, you blinked behind the fabric that was keeping you in the dark before deciding to keep your eyes shut. You couldn't hear anything yet, but you knew once they looked at the cameras and saw you were awake, the footsteps would come immediately.

You laid your head back, the metal cold against your neck and making goosebumps appear on your skin. You gulped, the sound loud in your ears in the silence. You figured since the chair you were in wasn't too warm, you hadn't been there long. You must've woke up before they thought you would.

You bit your tongue as you thought. There really wasn't anyone to say goodbye too, because you knew the odds were against you; you knew weren't leaving this room alive. The only person you would've bothered to talk to one last time was—

You stopped your thoughts when you heard the door open, bringing light so bright with it, it was almost blinding even with the blindfold before footsteps entered the room and the door closed again. You quickly erased your face of any emotion. It wasn't hard, you were conditioned to do so your entire life.

"You know Y/N," you bit back a scowl. You would recognize that slimy voice anywhere. "When I heard there was a rat in the business, I never would've thought it would've been you."

"Rat? Please," you scoffed, ignoring the pain in your head and ringing in your ears that only worsened when you spoke. "I'm more of a snake. Fox, even—" you jumped as a sharp stinging sensation spread through your cheek, holding in any noises that would give away you felt any pain. "Child abuse? I think that's a new low. Even lower than making a kid commit murder, I mean, _yeesh,_ " You felt two fingers tightly grab either sides of your jaw, squeezing, and you felt his hot breath fan across your face before he spoke.

"I've dealt with your mouth for too long. I would've cut out that tongue of yours if Boss wouldn't have had my head. But now that you're a traitor to us all, I can do whatever I want to you." He ripped off your blindfold, a few strands of your hair with it. You forced yourself to open your eyes despite not getting used to the light in the room and stare into his.

Nothing about Roman had changed. He was still a pale man with greasy blonde hair, yellow teeth, and still looked like a ferret more and more each day. He was still cruel and abusive. Unforgiving. That's why he was Boss' second in command.

"You've failed your mission Y/N. You let us all down. We all had such high hopes for you, as insufferable as you are, you could've gone places, maybe even have my job one day."

"Your job is _boring_ ," you raised your eyebrows, challengingly staring into his eyes, and maybe not feeling as intimidated as you should've been even though you were tied down with no space to even move your limbs. "You're basically a glorified lapdog, you even go out on coffee runs. I get the fun stuff, when's the last time _you've_ blackmailed a senator into passing a law by threatening to show her husband photos of her cheating and getting away with it? I honestly don't even think I was born yet."

This time, you saw the blow coming. The other side of your face this time. You closed your eyes on the impact, your face no doubt as red hot as the burning felt. But you just rolled your neck, licked the inside of your cheek, and opened your eyes again to try and alleviate the pain. This time, you knew the joking had to stop. They wanted information, and you knew of the ways they usually got it.

"What's the real reason why you haven't killed Peter Parker?" Roman growled, a hand shooting out to grip the back of the chair and push you back so that your weight was only supported by the two back legs, the man leaning over you intimidatingly, his lips turned down in a scowl. "We sent you to get rid of Spider-Man. Because that's your job. You've been protecting him. Why?"

"Have you ever thought about maybe he doesn't deserve to die?" You asked hypothetically. "If you want to make the deal so bad, go somewhere that's not New York, so Spider-Man won't crash your little party."

"There's so much you don't know kid, Spider-Man isn't just someone we wanted out of the way so he wouldn't cause trouble. A little while back, he interrupted a weapons trade, threw some of our best guys in jail. One of them being Boss' daughter. Boss personally wants him dead." He dropped the chair back down, slamming it harshly against the floor and you braced your neck so it wouldn't snap forward. You kept your eyes trained forward as Roman began to circle around you. "You've completed missions in less than two hours before. It's been more than a week, each day you come up with dumbass excuses. So tell me;" he stopped in front of you after he had come full circle, bending down to meet you face level. "Why isn't he six feet in the ground by now?

"Could it be you had the sudden epiphany that you would be able to run from us? Or," a cold smile appeared on his face as you continued to stare him down, your fists clenched tightly. "Does the cold-blooded mercenary have a crush, and you thought you could ride off into the sunset with your superhero boyfriend?"

You tried to contain the fire in your eyes, unknowing how successful you were exactly. "Right. Like I'm good enough for him. The Web-Head would be an idiot to fall for me." You lied through your teeth, the words coming out of your mouth as natural like silk from a spider. The words were partially true, Peter being the poor idiot who fell for the wrong girl.

"But he did, didn't he?" You didn't answer, instead clenching your jaw as Roman stood up. "Tell me where he is."

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" You growled. This was a complete lie. It was Tuesday, by now it had to be at least noon. He was most likely in school.

"Last chance Y/N, or I'm doing this my way."

"I don't know where he is." You stated firmly, your voice low and unnerving. This time you flinched as you saw the fist aimed for your face. You've taken worse hits than this, but when the hand connected with your jaw, making your head rattle and momentarily dull your senses, tasting the blood in your mouth, it made you question why you even let yourself be in this position in the first place. But you shook away the thought. If you were given the chance to redo your mission, you wouldn't change a decision you made.

"Fine." Roman pulled out a phone from his pocked and held it up for you to see. "I guess it's my way. I was hoping it would be, this is going to be way more fun." It took you a second to realize that he was holding up your phone, your vision still a little blurred from the punch.

You clenched your jaw to refrain from biting your tongue as you watched him bypass your password and go into your contacts. You wished there was a way you could get out of the ropes binding you in place, but it felt like they had searched you head to toe, confiscating all the weapons you usually kept on your body.

"Just sending a little message to Lover Boy, that's all," Roman said, glancing evilly in your direction when he noticed you staring him down like you had the power to burn holes into his skull. "Let's see how long it takes Spider-Man to show up and save you, hm?"

Your chest started to rise and fall with heavier breaths, both from anger and sadness. "He won't come." You spoke to Roman's back. He had started to leave the room.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"He doesn't care about me. He probably wants me dead as much as you do right now." The words were like a punch to the gut in their own, bitter in your mouth to admit that they were the truest words you've probably spoken in your entire life.

"Don't try lying to me now, girl, I have messages that say otherwise." He shook your phone in his hand as if to draw more attention to the electronic.

"I'm not lying." You called back. "If Spider-Man shows up, it won't be to save me. It'll be to take you down. Or he won't show up at all."

"It doesn't matter if that's the case, you've already unmasked him for us." He grinned, the expression cruel and mocking. "Either way, Peter Parker is going to be dead by the end of the week." And with that, Roman opened the door again, the blinding sunlight filling the room for a few moments before the door slammed shut, leaving you in nearly complete darkness.

A slew of curses ran through your brain. You wanted to yell, to scream. You knew you had to give them _something_ so they didn't find you any more suspicious than you were starting to seem. It was the third day after you were assigned to kill Spider-Man. You figured that you would've taken them down from the inside by the end of the week, and that them knowing Peter's name wouldn't have been too much of a problem. But you got distracted, you _let_ yourself get too caught up in his touch, stolen kisses... a whirlwind romance that shouldn't have been your story to live.

You lied to Peter. Manipulated him. He fell for deceit and lies that were intricately entwined with twisted truth. It all happened so fast, you never thought you could feel the way you did when you were with him. You still don't know what Spider-Man saw in you that made him trust you with his identity, but you wished you saw it in yourself.

You willed the tears not to come, instead focusing on the throbbing of your increasingly swelling lip. That's the source of the blood, at least, you thought as you felt it drip down your chin. You closed your eyes, and began to do something you hadn't ever thought you would do in your entire life. You began to pray.

Not to one God in particular, but to any entity that would spare any time to listen to you. You prayed that Spider-Man or the police picked up on the clues you left, that May and Ned or MJ wouldn't get hurt, that Peter's identity would stay safe, and with all the mental strength you had, you prayed that Spider-Man wouldn't show up. That Peter would be smart enough to stay out of danger, let you rot. You deserved it, after what you put him through, and you prayed he let his anger get the best of him, that he would ignore you. Because he was better off without you.

You could live a million lifetimes and never be good enough for Peter Parker.

You had no way of tracking the time, but you knew you must've been sitting there for hours. The light coming through the sliver under the door had died down, meaning the sun was setting. Your headache was dying down, but you were still in pain, your butt numb, your fingertips and toes starting to become cold from the tight ropes slowly cutting off your circulation.

You hadn't tried to move, hadn't tried to escape, instead you just sat there. Waiting.

Waiting for Roman to come back to through that door, hold a gun to your head, and pull the trigger.

You wondered if Peter ever saw the text. You hoped if he had, that he chose the right thing and decided not to show. And if he hadn't... you didn't want to think about that. But the longer you sat there, the longer you realized that this was Peter you were thinking about. The boy with the hero complex of ten men, and the guilt complex of twenty.

There was no way Peter would let you die, even if he hated you from the bottom of his heart, you knew he couldn't bear for a life to be lost because of him. That would eat him from the inside out, and he would find ways to blame himself even if it wasn't his fault, even if he was the victim the entire time.

You hated that this was all true. That you knew that in a matter of time, Spider-Man would come flipping into the base, taking out guy after guy, not even thinking about if it would be too much for him to handle, all for you. Just to make sure you were safe.

But what then? Surely he wouldn't forgive you. And if he did, you wouldn't let him. Because you didn't even think you could forgive yourself.

Now you started to count the hours. One. Three. Seven.

Your eyes were half lidded as the bright light started to fill the room again, a beacon of light in the darkness you were sitting in the entire night. Your throat was dry from your previous lack of self care, and your headache was back from your refusal to fall asleep. Some part of you wanted yourself to suffer for everything you did. Not just for Peter, but for the lives you took, the people you hurt without question or looking in to see if they deserved it. You were only a teenage girl now, but you were already a deadly being ever since Boss had found you in that bunker in Russia, a small child left to die, covered in the blood of the other children that were in there with you, crying in the corner over the horrific acts you had done.

Your entire life, you were only made to kill, and you didn't want to be only a weapon anymore. You knew there was no way to erase your past, and the easiest way for you to find peace was to erase your future.

You hung your head, the silence nearly deafening at this point, the sound of you breathing the only sound in the room.

Some part of you felt it was crazy to be smiling, but night had fell again. You thought maybe this was it, maybe everything was going to work out, that Peter had made a smart decision and not to act on impulse.

But you always did have the worst timing.

The smile immediately fell from your lips when sounds of gunshots pierced the air, hurting your head and making you flinch. Shouts and the footsteps of multiple people running followed soon after, and you knew exactly what had happened. The fight had just started.

A tear ran down your face. The first one to have been shed throughout the entire time you were in that room, over twenty-four hours. The damn boy couldn't resist, you knew Peter couldn't live with that on his conscience.

You wanted to wipe it away so bad, but you couldn't move. The fact that you had to remind yourself you were glued to one spot made another tear stream down your face. And another one came when you realized that Spider-Man was out there, fighting. Maybe not necessarily for you, but he was going to find you. Another one came. And another. And another, until silent tears were steadily running down your face, quiet sobs heaved in your chest, weak gasps escaping your mouth as you tried your hardest to stop.

The gunshots abruptly came to an end. So did the shouts and the footsteps.

Everything was silent. Too silent. Until there was a rattling at the doorknob in front of you. Your head jerked up, staring at the door with wide eyes, but you closed them and shrank into yourself when after another brief silence, there was loud bang as the door was forced —kicked— open.

Spider-Man was out of breath, his fists raised, prepared for another fight, but all he was met with was you and an empty room. Tension quickly filled the air, and he didn't become any less guarded as he cautiously stepped forward, saying nothing to break the silence. In fact, you were the one to do so, your voice coming out rough and broken.

"You should've left me to die."

He didn't say anything, stopping in front of you. You couldn't bring yourself to meet the white eyes of his mask, knowing he was staring right at your beaten face after he had crouched down. You didn't know if you had actually heard him letting out a breath of relief or if it was something your brain wanted to hear.

He moved his hands to the rope, finding the knot under your right wrist, but he hesitated as his fingers hovered above it.

"That wouldn't have made me any better than them." You had never heard Peter's voice so emotionless but somehow at the same time so bitter and full of animosity.

He then immediately got to work on the knot, it taking a couple of tries, but he loosened it enough for him to be able to pull the rope off. He then repeated the actions three more times, freeing your other hand and your legs. The relief of the constriction being gone also bringing a stinging sensation to your red and raw skin from where it had been cutting into your wrists and ankles the entire time.

Pain shot up your arms and legs as you tried to stretch, your wrists and fingers numb and your legs tingling. You could tell Peter wasn't sure what to do as he stood there in front of you, and you didn't blame him, but what you did know what that he wasn't going to leave until you did.

Seeing as you had no choice, you began to stand up. You didn't get far, however, your feet being asleep, and you nearly collapsed forward and would've hit the ground if Peter hadn't caught you.

"M'fine," you mumbled, grimacing through the pain and cringing at the lie as you pushed him off. You didn't deserve his help. You were a little unsteady on your feet, but you successfully were standing up.

"The police are going to be here any minute. So we need to go." He started back towards the door, but stopped when he noticed you weren't following him. "Come on—"

"You need to go." You told him, ignoring the way your voice cracked. "I'm just as much, if not more of a criminal than any of those guys out there. I shouldn't be let go, you shouldn't have come back for me."

"Y/N, you can't be serious." Peter's voice dropped, and when he saw just how serious you were, he let out a small huff of anger before grabbing your hand and forcing you to walk with him.

You stumbled the first few steps, walking through the doorway and onto the pier shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the moon. You had to get used to using your legs after a day of not using them, but once you did, you started to try to pull your hand out of his, but Peter seemed to have no intention of letting you go.

"Dammit! Just save yourself!" You nearly screamed at him. "I'm not worth it!"

Peter let go, it surprising you equally as much as it didn't, and he turned to you faster than you could blink.

"Don't you _dare_ say you aren't worth it." You had to take a step back from the intensity of his voice, your foot hitting a pistol that must've been stray from the battle that took place just minutes ago and pushing it out of the way some. "Because I just mentally fought with myself, and guess which side won? The side that wanted you. I just took on nearly forty guys who, for the most part, were all armed, blindly. No back-up. Do you wanna know why? For you! So we are leaving now, whether you like it or not. Before I lose you again."

His voice was now thick with emotion, wavering and breaking that last sentence. You felt your eyes welling up with tears again as you stared speechless at the costumed boy in front of you. Closing your eyes, you felt yourself nod your head as an okay. You didn't know if you could bear hurting him even more than you already had, and you didn't want to find out. But when you opened your eyes, just as Peter outstretched his hand again, you saw movement over his shoulder.

Without any second thought, you pushed Spider-Man away. Just as the bullet ripped through the nighttime air. You dived for the gun you remember bumping into, rolling and grabbing it, both hands wrapped around the handle. And before they could act, before Spider-Man could act, your sights had already found your target and you pulled the trigger. You hoped that it was loaded, at least one of your prayers coming true as the small flash of light and the air piercing sound appeared as the bullet left the barrel of the gun in your hands. The kickback was a little too much for your numb fingers, and you dropped the weapon, but it didn't matter. Because you had hit your intended target right where you wanted.

You shot to kill.

You only registered Roman's body as it crumbled to the ground, pistol of his own falling out of his hand. Slowly, shakily, you stood back up. The distant sounds of sirens had appeared, but you didn't hear them for long before you felt a strong arm wrap around your waist, holding you tight, and then the force of you moving through the air was so loud against your ears you could hear anything but the howling winds.

You did it again, like the embedded instinct in your body had told you to do. But this time, instead of someone innocent, it was someone who deserved it. Because if after all he went through, after all you put him through, you weren't going to let Peter Parker die in front of you. Not after the lengths he had gone to to save you in the first place. As long as you were alive, Peter carried your life with him. And you would happily, without a doubt, die, protecting him.

Because that was the most you could do. The only way you could ever repay Peter, make up for what you've done, feel better about yourself, would be to do anything for him. To give up your life, for him.

And as you were swinging in the air, you wondered how long it would take Peter to forgive you, if he ever could. How long before he asks to start over. How long before you start a life knowing you'll never be good enough, never deserve the love of a boy as hurt and broken but strong and stubborn like him.

Maybe death was the easiest way to move on, but you also knew nothing worthwhile ever came easily. You had to accept that, because there was no way Peter would let you turn yourself in, let alone take your life. If you wanted to prove your worth, you needed to face what you had done. Maybe you could atone for everything you had done, and maybe it could be enough. 

Things weren't going to get better with Peter for a while. A long while. But you knew that he was going to help you, make sure you got the help you needed. And if Peter thought that you were worth that, maybe, just maybe, you could believe it for him.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof I do apologize for having two really emotionally heavy chapters in a row.


	35. Super Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess what I rewatched that inspired the title of this chapter? Those songs are always forever in my head, I love them.
> 
> It’s Peter’s birthday! Ahh! I wanna see how long it takes for someone to question why I’m making a cake and insisting to watch Marvel movies. 
> 
> ...and then I’m gonna make cookies Thursday and just watch any movie/TV show with Sebastian Stan in it for the same reasons. 
> 
> They’ve learned to just go with it lol

"Hey Spidey! Your six!"

You warned him just moments before his senses picked it up himself. You found yourself rolling your eyes as he tilted his head, rolling his shoulders to prepare himself. As you crossed your arms, standing a good ten feet away from where Spider-Man was standing and twenty and closing from the man was charging at him from behind. You could basically feel the cockiness emanating from the boy when he jumped and flipped backwards over the mugger who had stumbled forward, trying to stop himself from running, but it was too late. Spider-Man had kicked his back before he landed on the ground, crouching low as he shot two webs at his legs and pulled them out from under the man, making him go crashing to the ground.

"Impressed yet?" You let out a quick laugh through your nose before looking up at the Spider-Man's eyes, trying your hardest to bite back a smile as you shook your head but failing. "Come on, that was cool." He argued, webbing the guy's head to the sidewalk as he walked forward, glancing around at the scene and the five other men the two of you together took out quickly. "Admit it."

You tugged on your jacket, straightening it out before speaking. "I honestly don't know why you try so hard to impress me." You said with heavy irony lacing your voice. "It isn't like I'm cooler than you and you feel threatened or whatever." You turned around and shot a grin over your shoulder at Spider-Man, the eyes of his mask thin as he was no doubt unamused by your comment before you started to climb the air, running up invisible steps, and in no time, reaching the roof of a nearby apartment building. You heard Spider-Man shoot a web, and a second later, he was standing right next to you.

"Cooler than me? Possibly. Threatened? Me? _No_." You snorted at the uncertainty in that last word leaning up against the large air filtration unit on the roof of the building and your eyes following Spider-Man as he mirrored you.

"Did Karen call the cops?" You asked routinely, glancing down at the street, where the unconscious men were still webbed, not going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe some jail time for armed robbery would change their view of the world.

"Of course, yeah." Even though the question was expected, Spider-Man still stumbled over his words. He wished it was something else that came out of your mouth, maybe even something that pertained to _him._

Peter used to love that when you and him had met, that you completely understood the want to keep your identities secret because you had felt the same way. But now that the two of you had been fighting together for over a year now, he wished that he could see who you were under the mask you wore, see your face to be sure of how beautiful you seemed. Even though he knew no matter what you looked like, it wouldn't change how he felt about you. For months, Peter's been on the edge of his seat, his fingers crossed and hoping that maybe you felt the same way about him, but never actually working up the nerve to ever say anything.

You, on the other hand, learned to control your want to know the face under the mask Spider-Man wore. It was one of the first things you and Spider-Man had talked about, how not knowing the other's identity was the safest route to take. Multiple times, it now being up in the thirties, you've bit your tongue, stopped yourself from asking anything personal that would give him away.

One thing the both of you could agree on, even though neither of you actually had a conversation about it, was that the thought had run through the both of your minds every day, relentlessly, for the past couple of months. At this point in your relationship, there was no doubt that Spider-Man and Airstream were friends. You knew each other's favorite colors, movies, books, food. You knew the both of you were around the same age. Hell, you even knew each other's birthdays. What each of you were most likely to do in their off time, to relax, to have fun. But what both of you were frustrated with was that you knew all of this about the other, and neither of you knew the other's real name. Both you and Spider-Man had considered the other one of the people closest to you, but there still was that promise of anonymity you made to each other.

"So...it's Friday," Spider-Man started, trailing off as you raised an eyebrow towards him. The two of you were sitting atop an old billboard, having left the rooftop after the police had shown up. It was getting pretty late, the sun had disappeared over the horizon hours ago, and the moon was shining brightly against the night sky, trying to discern itself from the flashing and neon lights of the city.

"Yeah, for another couple of hours at least." You smiled, letting out a small laugh. "Going anywhere with this?" You asked after a few moments of silence.

"What? O-oh yeah. I just wanted to ask how late you were going to stay out. You know, if you still wanted to try and find some other bad guys together." Usually you had to leave by now, and Peter realized what the time was and the question came to mind. However, he wished he hadn't asked though when he saw your smile falter and you glance down at the watch on your wrist, a frown replacing your expression. He loved sitting in the silence with you, the air comfortable with you by his side, making him feel like he could spend the whole night just like that. But by him opening his mouth, he cut that time short.

"Ugh, I actually have to go." You stood up, sadness underlying your voice. "I was supposed to do the dishes after I came home from school, but I met you instead. My mom'll kill me she wakes up tomorrow and sees that sink full." You joked, forcing a smile back on your lips as Spider-Man stood with you.

"Do you want me to swing you? It'll be faster." Spider-Man asked quickly, you chuckling at the attempt.

"Nice try, but I'm not a big fan of flying helplessly through the air." You told him, pushing his shoulder. Not even thinking of the possibility that he wanted to know where you lived, not knowing that Spider-Man wanted to know who you were just as much if not more than you wanted to know him, and that it really was why Peter asked in the first place.

"You walk on _air_." He countered, his voice full of disbelief.

"So? It still feels like it's solid ground so I'm all good. Well, until I lose focus and fall and have to catch myself again. Those are the days I wished it didn't feel like slamming into a brick wall." You stared past Spider-Man, tilting your head as you cringed, remembering the multiple times that happened when you were first trying to control your power. "I'll see you later though, man. Same time Tuesday?"

"You bet." You grinned before waving goodbye, Spider-Man watching as you dashed across the sky, climbing to the height of a three story building before sprinting in a straight line in the direction you needed to go.

Peter sighed to himself. All the confidence he seemed to get when he was Spider-Man always disappeared around you, and it was times like this he wished it didn't. He wanted to be able to work up the nerve to ask who you were. He wanted to hang out with you when there wasn't the underlying possibility of one of you getting hurt in a fight, see the color of your eyes, do normal things like watching movies or studying together.

The tinted glass over your eyes helped you see clearly as you ran through the air, sliding across currents when you could to help you get home faster. You had stopped trying to stop yourself from admitting that you got disappointed when you had to leave Spider-Man a while ago. If you hadn't had chores, made promises, you would've gladly spent all night with him. It was so easy to talk to him, conversation coming easily and fluidly. You were comfortable with him, more than some of your friends at school. You weren't completely sure of the reason why yet, but you couldn't question the truth.

Eventually, you reached your house and silently climbed through your bedroom window. It was silent as you changed in the dark, hiding your suit behind your dresser and then sneaking into the kitchen, turning on the least amount of lights you could and getting to work with the soap and sponge in your hands.

. . . . .

"You should tell her." Peter's head turned sharply to the doorway of his bedroom where Ned's voice had appeared. Even though he had just shown up, Peter knew exactly what he was talking about, Ned picking up right where their conversation via texts had left off.

"I want to but you know I can't." Peter frowned before turning back to his History homework. "May let you in?"

"Yeah. Told me to scare you. Don't think it worked." Ned chuckled, dropping his backpack to the ground and taking a seat down on Peter's bed. "Did you hear me coming? Do you have superhearing too?"

"Uh, something like that." Peter answered, not wanting to admit that he was distracted by the thought of you, although Ned was probably one of the last people to judge.

"Seriously though, just talk to her!" Ned lowered his voice, glancing at the open door he forgot to close. "Tell her you want to know who she is! You don't even have to tell her about your crush, just that you want to introduce her to your friends."

Peter turned around in his seat, staring with an unamused expression that didn't last too long. "You just want to meet Airstream."

"She's _so cool_! I wanna have two superhero friends! I would have two super friends, how insane is that?" Ned exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at the possibility. "No, no, no, but really, nothing's gonna happen if you don't tell her anything you want."

"I dunno Ned," Peter sighed, spinning around in his chair, throwing his pen down on his desk. "What if she really doesn't want to know? And me asking just strains what we have?"

"And what _exactly_ do you have?" Ned teased.

"Shut up." Peter quickly told him, his cheeks starting to flush but then he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know how I would tell her. Do you have any ideas Ned?"

A wide grin appeared on his face, and Ned met Peter's eyes. "I know exactly what you should do."

Peter listened to Ned, his best friend slowly building up his courage, both boys thinking it was a great idea, basically foolproof. Peter could back out at any time, and it was designed that he would have complete control over his actions—that is, if he was actually in control of what came out of his mouth and he didn't become a rambling mess.

Everything was going according to plan until Peter chickened out Tuesday afternoon. He saw you, and realized he couldn't do it going in blind and rushed to the nearest hiding place to change, meeting you in the Spider-Man suit like always, and the two of you starting your patrol. Like always.

It was a relatively slow day. Ever since Spider-Man appeared, crime in New York dropped by almost half, and with you by his side, even more. Days like this happened, when neither of you could find even the smallest job to do, not even one person to save.

You wondered if he was going to ask if the two of you should stop today's rounds early, or if he was going to take advantage of the time with you like you were. It seemed like the latter when you had watched, snickering from the train tracks, as Spider-Man stopped by Delmar's Deli-Grocery and bought a bag of gummy worms in his full suit. Now the both of you were currently splitting the bag, eating at the top of the Empire State Building, feet swinging over the edge. You stole a couple of glances at his face while you could, his mask folded halfway up his face so he could eat, you seeing his smile for one of the first times, it having been way too long since you saw it last, which was the last time you and Spider-Man ate food together.

"So," you broke the silence, swallowing the gummy in your mouth before turning to face Spider-Man, who had his full attention on you. "Do you buy stuff in your suit often? Do you get a discount or something?"

Spidey laughed. "Yeah, actually. I get a really good deal if I can prove it's really me."

"What do I owe you? Twenty cents?" You chuckled, looking down into the bag in your hand before grabbing and eating another worm.

"Nah, you don't have to pay me." He shook his head, taking the bag from you. "Even if you ate most of the candy."

"Hey, in defense, you let me hold the bag. You should know that's a big no-no, you had it coming." You leaned into him, already reaching for more.

You paused for less than a second when you felt Spider-Man tense as you got closer, a soft gasp escaping through his mouth. You weren't sure if it was because he didn't want you that close, or if he _did_. You decided to act like you didn't notice, taking whatever your fingers grabbed and sitting back up.

"Got any plans for spring break?" You asked, seeing Spider-Man relax again, and him turn to you with a smile.

"Not really, no. You?"

"I got a couple of shows to binge and rebinge, but that's basically it. Other than coming up with reasons for me being out of the house when I'm gonna be with you."

"You still haven't told your mom?" Spider-Man asked, his eyes widening.

"Not all of us have kick-ass, supportive aunts." You breathed. "I tell her, she's going to ground me for life. She'd rather me get a boyfriend than do something that could potentially risk my life. Trust me, I tried to tell her, and that's literally what she said."

"A boyfriend, huh? Are you taking any requests?" You rolled your eyes and stared at Spider-Man. "I'm kidding. I'm just kidding." He laughed, masking the fact that that was something he did want to happen, sooner rather than not at all.

You smiled, looking out into the skyline and leaning back. "If you make a move, maybe I'll bite." You commented softly, keeping your face looking straight ahead, even as stunned silence came from the boy next to you. You laughed softly as he continued to be able to respond to that, and you spoke again. "Going out tomorrow?" You asked, turning your head to face him, and seeing the moment when he shook himself back to reality.

"Oh- uh, y-yeah. Yeah." He stared down at his hands, his fingers nervously wringing his wrist. "Yeah. If you want to tag along, you know where to meet up." A shy smile appeared on his face, and you that's the moment you realized that Spider-Man had a crush on you. And that you didn't even mind in the slightest.

Peter's mind was racing. He couldn't tell if you were joking or not, but that didn't matter because he had to have given himself away by now. He watched carefully for any look of disgust or any other emotion that would be bad, but you just seemed to act like everything was normal, humming to yourself as you slowly munched on gummy worms. He smiled. Maybe he should stop worrying about the what-if's.

"I have a question." You stated, turning back towards Spider-Man.

"Shoot."

"Don't you get curious? Like...I mean—" you stopped yourself, letting out a breath and closing your eyes. "Never mind."

"Wait, wait what were you going to say?" Peter hoped you would respond with what he thought you were going to say.

"It's nothing. Doesn't matter." You mumbled, shaking your head. "Wanna see if we can find something to do?"

"Sure." Peter was hesitant, but answered. He was disappointed. He could've swore he knew what you were going to say, how you were going to finish that sentence, but you chose against saying anything. He was going to prove to you that he was thinking the same thing, and maybe pave the way for something new.

. . . . .

Peter didn't think he was ever more nervous in his life than he was right now, pacing the grass of the secluded corner of the park Spider-Man and Airstream always meet up at. He had his backpack on, the Spider-Man suit zipped safely away, either for him to change into if he chickens out or for him to change into after he tells you the truth and potentially go on patrol.

It took him a lot longer to pick an outfit than he would've liked to admit, not wanting to dress up and be too formal, but he didn't want to look bad either, ultimately settling on a blue checkered button up with the arms rolled up from the heat and a pair of jeans. He couldn't stop moving, his feet taking steps while his hands rubbed up his arms or fixed hair that didn't need fixing.

You were perched upon a tree, frowning to yourself as you tried to figure out what to do. You were about thirty feet away from the lamppost you usually up waited around until Spider-Man showed up —or other times, the one Spider-Man was always hanging from waiting for you— but this time there was a boy there, pacing the ground like he was waiting for someone.

You couldn't see his full details from where you were, almost looking down on him. Besides, the shadows of the trees didn't help. You couldn't help but get the feeling that you had seen him before, and then it came to you, that just a couple of days ago you think you saw the same boy here in this same spot, before he ran off, disappearing.

You sighed to yourself, dropping down and walking your way across the grass, stepping about a foot in the air for intimidation if you needed it.

"Waiting for someone?" You asked, making the boy jump, turning around to face you with brown eyes large from surprise.

"Um- uh, yeah. Y-you." Your eyebrows creased down, his voice sounded so familiar and the wheels in your mind were turning as they tried to figure out why.

"I didn't walk into an ambush, did I?" You joked, partially serious, tilting your head to the side but also preparing yourself for a fight if you had too.

"Ambush? What? No! No." He shook his head furiously, his words coming out with a small laugh. He seemed really nervous, and the familiarity still nagged at you.

You started to study his face, narrowing your eyes as he began to talk again. His hair was a warm brown, looking full and soft. His eyes the same color, but there was a depth to them you'd never seen in someone's eyes before, a twinkle that made you just want to keep staring, like it was a sight you'd never get sick of seeing. Your eyes fell to his lips as he stammered to get words out, and that's when you made the connection, your mouth falling open and your eyes widening as you lowered yourself so your feet were on solid ground.

Peter was still trying to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say, trying out the starts of different sentences but stopping himself every time. It wasn't until he ran both of his hands through his hair that his eyes fell back to you, seeing your expression and freezing up. He just knew you figured it out.

"You- you're—" _Spider-Man_. "—cute." You closed your eyes and inhaled a sharp breath when you said the first thought on your mind, not able to stop your tongue from forming the other word. When you opened your eyes again, not having closed them for long, you saw a light shade of pink creeping over the boys face. "Spider-Man?" You finally asked, your voice low from bewilderment.

"H-hi." Peter sent you a small wave paired with a small smile, his body crunching in on itself as he waited for another reaction from you, preparing for just in case things go south.

"What— why are you—? You..." you blinked multiple times, trying to form a sentence but you couldn't, your thoughts now racing so much you couldn't settle on just one. You missed the look of regret that appeared on the face in front of you, not seeing until he spoke.

Peter groaned. "I should've known that this was too bold of a reveal, I should- I should've just asked slowly instead of just revealing myself like this, I'm so—" he wasn't able to finish his sentence though when he watched as you took off your mask in front of him, his breath momentarily catching in his throat as you looked at him with a shy smile, your face now fully exposed.

"I'm Y/N." You were the first to break the silence, holding your hand out and waiting.

"P-Peter. I'm Peter." He shook your hand, even if it was still gloved. It wasn't like you were expecting to reveal who you were and you weren't wearing regular clothes.

The laughs that filled the quiet air were full of both relief and disbelief. Peter wasn't sure what he was expecting you to look like, but he never could've imagined the face he was seeing in front of him. It was perfect.

"I'm assuming you weren't planning on making it this far?" You asked after a minute, biting back a laugh as you stared at Peter.

"Honestly? No. No, last time, I couldn't even make it until you showed up." Well that proves that the boy you saw last time _was_ him.

"Well," you started, looking around at your surroundings real quick. "You can either suit up, and we can go out. Or," you paused, smiling at the eagerness in Peter's expression. "My mom's at work. We could hang out at my place?"

"That sounds nice," Peter's voice was light and he had a dumb smile spread across his lips.

"Which one, Spidey?" You rolled your eyes before pulling your mask back on, Peter blinking a couple of times before clearing his throat.

"What-whatever one you want." He answered and you chuckled.

"Follow me then." You told him, taking a step back and smiling. "We go now, and I won't have to preheat the oven again for cookies."

Peter grinned and followed you as you took off in a run, realizing that the best case scenario just played out right in front of him. And while he still had something major tell you, he figured it would be best to wait a little while longer. Being super friends wasn't easy, and he wanted to save that for as long as possible. His next confession would definitely be way more planned out, and with any luck, it would go as well as this one did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thursday’s gonna have a pretty important end note, so I wanna give a heads up in advanced. 👍


	36. New Kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No internet really is a scary thing. A day late is better than never.
> 
> I really have a problem with coming up with original characters and delving so much into their backstories; figuring things out about their past, and then putting basically *nothing* into the story at all.
> 
> Be sure to read the end notes. They contain some important information (and a couple of questions) about this book and its future 🙂 I would really appreciate it.

You never thought the first day at a new school could ever be this nerve wracking. Especially when you were only there for your mission.

Bouncing on your heels, you exhaled sharply to focus yourself before joining the crowd of students filing into Midtown School of Science and Technology, disguising yourself in the sea of teenagers.

You imagined you must've looked like any other wide-eyed new kid as you observed the details of the school, trying to get a glimpse of every students face you passed as you turned left before exiting the lobby, entering the main office and walking up to the the woman at the desk.

"Good morning sweetie," The woman said cheerfully. She was in her late twenties, early thirties, and very beautiful, her strawberry blonde hair pinned up in a bun on the top of her head. Her name was Ms. Glase, or so it said on the nameplate.

_Single, possibly in a relationship going off of the single photo she had framed that showed her kissing the cheek of another woman. The blue crate tucked by her legs and empty desk says recently employed. That would explain the brightness in her eyes and the wide smile on her face._

"Is there something I can help you with?" Your lips quirked up in a small smile and you made sure your gaze was soft before you spoke.

"Good morning," you greeted in return. "I'm new here, and I was wondering if I could get my schedule? I hope this is the right place to get it."

Ms. Glase's smile widened and she angled her body to the monitor to her right. "You've come to the right place. I'm new here too honey, don't worry, you'll fit right in. What's your name?"

_She is new._

"Y/N Y/L/N." You replied, watching as she typed your name into the school's database, pulling up your newly made (semi-fake) profile.

"This is your first time at a public school?" Ms. Glase raised a surprised eyebrow. "This is a big step from homeschooling, you must be one gifted young woman."

_You wouldn't believe._

Chuckling a little, you adjusted the straps of the bag on your back. "Thank you, I've always enjoyed learning."

"As do most of the students here, I've heard." She met your eyes and was silent a second before she turned back to the screen. "Let me print this out for you real quick, and you can be at your homeroom before the bell even rings."

"Thanks." You repeated, looking around the large room. The line of chairs against the wall in the waiting area, and the hall that led to the principal's office and a couple of storage rooms.

Ms. Glase stood up when the printer booted to life, warm paper ejecting from the machine and swiftly handing it to you as she stood face to face.

"I hope you have to great first day!" She called to you as you smiled and said another 'thanks' before reaching for the doorknob.

"You too." You told her before leaving and walking into the emptying hallway. Exiting the main lobby, you saw just how busy the school was.

The low chattering buzzed the air, students and teachers alike walked in and out of rooms. Posters promoting school clubs littered the walls and you could've swore you saw a drone or two flying above your head.

 _Learning really_ is _encouraged here_.

Finding a wall where kids weren't grouped around and talking, you glanced over your schedule. It seemed like your normal school schedule, except excluding the few courses any normal school wouldn't ever include.

No one seemed to notice your presence in your homeroom, and that was fine with you. You were there to observe anyway, get information. Not to make friends. You pulled out your phone and used the time to send a quick update to Jean. You had made it to the school okay, and that it was going to be easy enough to get accustomed.

You were only supposed to stay a couple of months. Three or four, max. But if you didn't think you would find anything of interest, it was your call to come back early. As a teenager with the literal powers of observation, it made the most logical sense to send you.

You hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary as you slowly made it through the day, introducing yourself in classes, doing work you've already learned. The thought of maybe Midtown was a mutant free school crossed your mind, but then again, it was only your first day and it wasn't even half over.

Walking into your Algebra II class, your teacher, Mrs. Wren, let you skip the introductions and take a seat before beginning the class like nothing had changed. Which you were grateful for. You were getting pretty sick of the saying your name constantly to other people, and you wondered why you didn't just come up with a whole new identity.

What wasn't different though, was the way everyone in the class seemed to look at you whenever they could, whispering about the new kid in between doing their work. You rolled your eyes and sighed, taking notes as well making sure your own eyes flickered over every student in the class, memorizing their faces. You couldn't help it, anyway.

The only empty seat was next to a brown haired boy who was preoccupied with his laptop until you had appeared next to him, politely asking for him to push in his seat so you could walk through. With a nervous smile, he shut the screen and complied, letting you pass behind him.

He hadn't said anything to you yet, just as you hadn't said anything to him. But you knew more about him that he probably would think.

_There's a fading yellow bruise on the side of his face. It isn't too noticeable, like he tried to cover it up with makeup. He's broken his nose before, maybe multiple times. He might possibly get into fights often, but it's more likely he's accident prone going off of the way he's been nervous the entire time he's been sitting here, bouncing his leg and glancing over. Looks alone...he doesn't seem like a troublemaker._

Copying calculator shortcuts into your notebook, you saw the boy next to you open his laptop again. This time, angling the screen slightly away from you as if he didn't want you to see what he was doing.

That's _a pretty old model. It's clearly been used. Maybe short on money, or very determined to use it as long as he can before buying an upgrade. Most likely the former going off of his clothes. They fit, but just barely. Tight around his arms. His muscles are clearly visable. Nervous boy works out. Maybe rethink that goody two shoes act._

You were pulled from your thoughts when you saw another boy out of the corner of your eye. He was leaning back in his seat, two rows up, but looking directly at you.

"Yo, new kid,"

_Oh. There's always at least one of these guys._

Not letting your annoyance show just yet, you slowly looked up. His black hair was slicked back in what he must've thought was a cool fashion, and he had a flirty smirk on his lips.

_Rich. Spoiled. Who else would flaunt a Rolex at a public school?_

"Why're you sitting next to Penis Parker? One word, and I can get you the best seat in the class right next to me. It has the best view." In your peripheral vision, the boy next to you eyes widened and there was another glance in your direction.

_Egotistical and narcissistic. Bully? Gross._

"Hm," your eyebrows drawed together in what could be perceived as consideration but was in fact disgust. "No thanks."

You watched as the stab to his ego caused him hurt cross his face and his expression falter before he blinked it away. "I'm Flash. What's your name?" He spoke as if he didn't just get rejected.

_Not his real name._

"Y/N," you answered, but your voice was a whisper but flat and uninterested. "But I'm fine sitting right here, thank you."

This time the rise of annoyance was unmistakable on his face, and Flash huffed.

"Are you sure? Because—"

"Leave her alone Flash," the boy next to you spoke, his voice sounded tired. He was exhausted.

You tilted your head curiously, looking over at the boy. You heard Flash grumble to himself and saw him roll his eyes before turning around in his seat. You had no idea how the people in this class dealt with him every day. You figured it was something you just got used too and you would have to too. At least for a little while.

It was quiet for a little while, only light murmuring from the class as friends chatted and did their work. Mrs. Wren sitting at her desk reading a book.

_Classes here seem to be pretty well behaved. Teachers trust the students enough to leave them mostly unattended._

"I-I'm Peter." The voice brought the boy back to your attention and you turned your head to see him staring at you. "I mean, Flash likes to call me P— my name's Peter. Parker. Peter Parker."

_Confusing. That's who you are._

"I'm Y/N."

"Y/N." Peter repeated your name and a nervous smile graced his lips before it dropped and he looked away. "I'm sorry about that. Flash can be a little...much."

"Why are you apologizing for him?" You asked him, making his expression turn to confusion of his own.

"I uh, I dunno, I guess..." he sighed, looking back at his open laptop. You saw the screen, not looking long, but you caught enough to figure out he was watching videos of that Spider-Man guy on YouTube.

He trailed off, ending the conversation awkwardly. You waited to see if he would say anything else, but he never did. Instead, you saw the tips of his ears turn pink as he closed his laptop and pulled out the work he was supposed to be doing.

Frowning a little, you tapped your pen against the desk once before getting back to work.

_Keep an eye on him. There's something he's hiding._

"Peter, quick, I need the notes for today's test."

Your voice startled the boy as you came rushing into the classroom, hopping over his seat, not even waiting to get to yours.

"What happened to yours?" Peter chuckled, reaching into his backpack and handing you his folder. "We're not supposed to look at them, the test is about to start."

"Mine uh," You couldn't tell him the truth because the truth was that one of your friends accidentally touched them and set it on fire over the weekend when you went upstate to Westchester County. "I misplaced them. I just need to look it over real quick. To make sure I'm right and not remembering things wrong."

Peter stifled a laugh and you rolled your eyes. "Y/N, you know you don't forget anything. It's pretty crazy actually, it's like your superpower if you had one."

This time, you snorted, flipping through the lined pages and deciphering Peter's messy handwriting as you skimmed the notes.

"What's so funny?" Peter asked with a grin, nudging your arm.

"Nothing," you answered, scrambling to close his folder and tuck it back into his bag as Mrs. Wren stood up and picked up the pile of tests from her desk.

You had been a student at Midtown Tech for a little over a month now. You were close to believing the school had no new potential students, and was close to calling it quits on your mission until one night you ran into Spider-Man on your way back to the apartment that was set up for you to live in while you were there. Somehow, the two of you ended up talking, and you were certain that Spider-Man was also a student at Midtown. You were only 80% sure you knew who it was—that being the boy sitting right next to you.

You knew that you weren't supposed to be there to make friends, but your newfound friendship with Peter Parker _might_ have also had it's influence on your decision to stay.

Somehow, the boy had wormed his way into your heart easier than anyone you had ever met before. You hated lying to him whenever the two of you talked about your personal lives, but luckily for you, there wasn't much you had to completely lie about. You've tweaked a few details here and there, and that seemed to do the trick.

"We all know the drill." Mrs. Wren announced as she began to pass out the packets. "No electronics, no talking, no cheating. You can read or put your head down when you're done." You and Peter quieted your laughter to a stop as she handed you your tests. "Good luck."

"Good luck," you echoed to Peter, smile on your face as you put your pen to the paper.

Classes after the one you shared with Peter seemed so dull and boring compared to the time you spent with him. Sometimes, it was more than just classes. Days you spent in your tiny Midtown apartment seemed to stretch into weeks when you knew you could be spending the time and making it fly by if Peter was by your side.

"Got that Stark Internship today?" You asked Peter as he walked by your side down the hall. Lately, he's made the habit of walking you to your next class before he goes to Spanish.

"Maybe, I'll have to check." he answered slowly, curious as to why you asked. "Why? Wanna do something?"

You shrugged. "Just bored. Not a lot of things to do alone, y'know?"

"I get that, yeah," Peter pressed his lips together into a tight smile when the both of you came to a stop in front of your History class. "I'll see if I can get out early and stop by. I'm sure my aunt won't mind."

"Make sure to ask her. Don't want you getting in trouble."

"May loves you, so I'm sure it'll be fine." You smiled.

"Go. Or you'll be late," you give his arm a light push and Peter laughed lightly.

"Okay, okay." He started walking, turning around, but then looking over his shoulder at you. "See you later Y/N." He waved.

"See you—" the sound of a gunshot pierced the air and screams filled the hall.

Students scrambled to run into classrooms, and you got pushed down. Quickly standing back up, you looked for Peter, but you couldn't find him anywhere.

You hadn't gone on many field missions before, your specialty was staying low and covert. Figure things out from the inside and take people down by exposing the thing that would hurt them the most. If for some reason you were in the fight, you always followed closely behind Anna, Jean, or Ororo, letting them take the lead.

You were trained in multiple different fighting techniques however, and knew how to fight if it had to come to it. And as the school was panicking, the principal's voice over the intercom repeatedly telling the school to go on lockdown, this seemed like one of those times.

You knew this might be a decision you might come to regret as you pushed yourself through the students trying to find an open classroom, going to opposite direction until you found a safe place to duck down against the wall and think.

_There wasn't much of a reverb, or the sound of the bullet hitting a target whether it was a person or a wall. The gun was probably fired outside._

_Outside._

Standing back up, you ran down the hall and pushed open the door to the maintenance stairs, running up the flight that would lead to the roof of the school.

You opened the door carefully, but jumped when you heard another gunshot, this time because you were closer, it still rang in your ears, and a panicked voice speak.

"Woah! Woah, do we really need the gun here, buddy?" That voice. You knew that voice.

_Peter._

Crouching against the wall by the door, you slowly moved until you could see the people already up there. It wasn't all too surprising to see Spider-Man, as you already had your suspicions. But there was another man. He didn't look like a high school student, he was too old.

"I'm not here for you, bug-boy, so if you leave now, I won't have to hurt you."

"Wait, so you're not trying to kill me?" Peter asked, and you saw Spider-Man tilt his head. "Well I gotta say that's a first."

"Not yet, I'm not." The man gritted.

"Then what are you here for? To kill innocent people? Cuz that's not cool man,"

You saw the man raise his pistol and aim it at Spider-Man, who took a step back, and alarm rose in your chest. Getting a good look at the man's face, you recognized him immediately and you really knew you had to do something.

"Jon, wait!" You yelled, running out and making yourself known. You stopped directly in front of Spider-Man, holding your hands out in front of you.

"Y/N?" You heard Spider-Man whisper behind you and you forced a smile as you quickly looked over your shoulder.

"Hey Pete," you whispered back like it was nothing, like there wasn't a loaded gun pointing right at you and you could die if the trigger was pulled, before you turned back to face the man in front of you.

_Jon's other side took over again. He needs to remember who he is, and right now, no backup._

You met his eyes below the hat he was wearing. His other side must've led him here because Jon knew that you were sent alone. You could tell he recognized you, and you knew that was a start.

"Ah, there you are." He straightened his arm and took better aim. You did say a start.

"Jon, come on man, you don't wanna hurt me." You pleaded.

"Y/N, w-what's going on?" Peter's voice was breathless from shock. "Do you— help?"

"No, no, no, wait," you tell him quickly before you took a slow step forward. "Put down the gun, Jon. Lonnie wouldn't want you hurting anyone, remember Lonnie? You guys were just getting serious. You were doing _so_ well."

His arm faltered and you were searching your brain for other memories that could snap him out of this state. It was working, but you couldn't hesitate.

_He's scared. Not in control of his own mind. Peter's confused and probably fighting his own urge to fight._

"The two of you were talking about tying the knot. Remember? She wants to move closer to the school, so you can keep going and you two can be together."

"Lonnie..." Jon's voice was quiet, his outstretched arm lowering as he began to remember, his sides beginning to fight. "No!" Suddenly he roared and raised his gun again, taking aim.

Peter began to move behind you and you stiffened as you saw Jon's finger started to close around the trigger. Spider-Man outstretched his wrist and shot a web, yanking the gun out of Jon's hands the same second a powerful gust of wind blew through the air, and you saw Jean land on the roof, Ororo dropping down next to her.

Swiftly, Jean grabbed Jon's head with both of her hands, closing her eyes as his body fell limp in her arms and she placed him down slowly.

"Are you hurt Y/N?" You heard Ororo ask you immediately, her appearing directly in front of you, her hands grabbing your shoulders protectively as she spoke with a motherly tone.

"Woah," Peter breathed from behind you, and all eyes found him, the whites of his mask widened as far as they could. You were about to tell him everything was okay when a red and gold figure came zooming through the air, stopping and landing with a heavy thud on the roof.

"Kid! Are you all right?" It was a real party now. Four super powered humans and an unconscious man, now joined Iron Man himself. With a metal whir, Iron Man's head turned to face you, Jean, Ororo, and Jon, his helmet flipping up to show the face of Tony Stark. "Um, who are they?"

The Avengers Compound was a sight to see on it's own, but actually being inside was something else entirely. You had spent the past half hour answering questions. Not in any formal fashion, but just satisfying the curious minds of both Stark and Peter.

_Secluded, private. Well equipped with the most high end cutting edge technology, but who would expect less from Tony Stark?_

_  
_ "So you're a mutant?" You chuckled as Peter asked you the question, his eyes sparkling from the new information he was just exposed too. The two of you were leaning against a large window overlooking the thick forest surrounding the building.

"Yeah," you raised your eyebrows as he mouthed the word 'wow' but no sound came out. "Kinda woke up one day, and had a complete sensory overload. I could see clearer, hear more things a normal person couldn't. In short, my powers are basically over-analyzation."

"Deduction skills: one hundred." Peter joked, still wrapping his mind around it all.

_Footsteps. Only one person._

Both you and Peter turned around at the same time, another nervous smile as he realized that the both of you went to go face the same person, but they hadn't even entered the room yet. Soon, the doors opened and Tony Stark walked into the room.

"Yeah, a real Sherlock Holmes," He added to the conversation before making eye contact with you and your eyebrows furrowed from slight confusion until he gestured to the ceiling. "Y/N, right?" You nodded. "FRIDAY records everything, don't think I was going to leave two teenagers alone together and not listen in. I know better than anyone where that could lead."

Peter shifted embarrassedly next to you and you smiled. "I'm assuming you're not here just to make sure we weren't necking in the corner, are you?"

Tony looked somewhat impressed before shaking his head. "No. So, yeah, Jekyll and Hyde in the other room, he's a good guy?"

"Jon has a more... _severe_ case of split personality disorder." You explained. "His powers manifested when he was really young, but the older he got, the more distinct his personalities became, to the point where they were two different people. One side wanting to do nothing but help people, but the other one wanting nothing but to get revenge on anyone that hurt him."

"Right." Tony nodded his head. "I just heard that all from your buddies out there, I was hoping you could've shed some more light on this school they were talking about in like, the most mysterious way possible.”

"School?" Peter asked, and your head turned to face him.

"Allow me to explain," The doors opened again, and this time three more people entered, Jean and Ororo two of them. "My name is Charles Xavier, the headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to start off by saying that I hate giant authors notes, so I'm gonna do my best to keep it short. 
> 
> *sigh* I did want to put up a Peter birthday special but I couldn't finish it in time. But that's besides the point.
> 
> ~anyway~ 
> 
> I would like to use this space to inform everyone of the hiatus I plan on taking starting today, August 13th. To simply put it: I want to take a small break from updating this oneshots book twice a week. I want to use the time without the self induced pressure of putting out new chapters every week to give my brain some time to circulate and stock up on more ideas, complete previous requests, and to just to take a break in total. 
> 
> With that being said, I would also like to add that His Warrior Angel will NOT be on hiatus. Only this book. I will continue to write and post new HWA chapters every Friday. I just wanted to lighten the load a little bit. I love writing, and from a reader's perspective, I would hate if someone just cut off a story and not publish a new addition for a while, so I don't want to subject you guys to that torture. 
> 
> I won't be completely gone; I'll still be active to post and interact with you guys and comments, and I'll add any new requests that may be requested to my list. 
> 
> I don't have a clear date to which I will be returning, but I can say that it will probably—possibly be late September/Early (possibly mid) October. The main thing being I want to figure out what's going on with school and all that stuff, get settled on that front, and work out a schedule from there. 
> 
> Also: we're nearing the fiftieth chapter! (If fourteen to go counts as nearing 50) Anyone want a big 50 chapter special? And if so, feel free to suggest anything worthy enough for it!
> 
> ~this is me thinking I didn't have anything else to add but then remembering at the last minute~ I have a couple (like 3 or 4) drabbles and chapters I didn't think were long enough to be added to this book I never published. Would anyone want to read those too?
> 
> Thank you all (I hope) for understanding and taking the time to read this! Hopefully the time will pass quickly enough, and I'll be back before anyone knows it!
> 
> ~ R
> 
> P.S. out of curiosity, what's everyone's favorite chapter/mini-series so far? I really want to know if anyone shares any favorites of mine and hear which ones you personally enjoyed the most. I’m somewhere in between not liking any of them because I’m the one who wrote them and loving all of them equally *because* I wrote all of them. So if I had to go off the top of my head, without looking back at the list, I would probably choose Gone, Road to Redemption, and every chapter of It’s Only A Word as my favorites. I stand by what I said though, I both love and hate them all. Lol.
> 
> P.P.S. so much for this being short.


	37. Sober Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎶 _I've been too long I'm glad to be back_ 🎶
> 
> I'm back, people!! Woo!!! I missed you guys!! Now, back to your weekly dose of terrible chapter names and Peter Parker escapades!
> 
> Warning(s): underage drinking (don't do this if you don't have a Peter, kiddos—or actually, don't do this at all?)

Ned had told him that a party would be the perfect escape to help alleviate some of the stress Peter had been putting on himself from the friendly neighborhood vigilante front, and with careful deliberation (as well as both his aunt and best friends urging him to go), Peter found himself standing by the snacks table in the middle of the biggest high school party he'd ever attended. While he wasn't a part of the group of the moving bodies in front of him as the music thumped in his ears, he was smiling and enjoying himself just the same as if he were dancing as he chatted with Betty and Ned as much as he could before they went off to do their own couple things.

Parties weren't usually Peter's scene, especially since what had happened with Vulture and his goons the last time he went to one, but so far, he wasn't regretting coming to this one.

He'd steered clear of Flash, made sure to stay near the food in case he wanted something to nibble on, and up to this moment, he had a three-time winning streak in ping-pong — which had gotten so ridiculously competitive it was hilarious.

He even spotted Michelle hanging out in the corner with Y/N about an hour ago. Peter wouldn't like to admit he hadn't moved from the spot he was standing because he had a direct view of the two when the crowd of dancing teenagers decided to give him a clear shot of the other side of the room, but that was the truth.

Peter and Y/N had only become friends recently, her being one of Michelle's friends from out of state who moved to New York City after her parents' job relocated them back to the main Oscorp labs, but it took less than a week for the boy to realize he had caught a crush damn near instantly.

He tried hard not to acknowledge it, especially because him and Michelle had decided to break off their relationship and stay friends after she realized that it wasn't boys that interested her romantically. Even if they were on good terms, Peter still thought it wouldn't be right to like one of her best friends, let alone let her know that maybe he was ready to start dating again (or more truthfully: to _start_ dating someone. Him and MJ had only really made it a month before they realized things weren't really working in that way for them).

Betty tugged on Ned's arm, and Peter told them that it was okay if they wanted to go dance, taking a sip of soda from the cup he held in his hand. He laughed softly to himself as the pair dashed onto the dance floor, disappearing in the mass array of people already moving to the rhythm.

For a brief moment, the crowd split and Peter's eyes caught sight of Y/N's face as she was laughing with Michelle from across the room. The latter seemed to sense the set of eyes on her friend, as she saw Peter. For a second, he thought MJ might have disapproved and would shoot him a glare that would make him feel guilty, but instead, he watched as she just nudged Y/N and brought him to her attention.

He felt his heart skip a beat as she grinned in his direction, holding a cup of her own out in confirmation that the expression was meant for him.

But just as fast as all of that happened, people moved and blocked his view. Sighing, he stared down and watched the clear bubbles rise and pop in his cup in the dim lighting of the room before he gulped the rest of it down and turned to the kitchen to get a refill.

Peter knew he was probably going to spend the rest of his time at the party alone. He would rather his friends enjoy themselves as well. Y/N had MJ to socialize. Peter knew he would ruin their dynamic if he went over and the last thing he wanted was to do that. They most likely only came for the free food anyway. And Ned and Betty were sure to have fun on their own.

He thought about leaving. It was a little before midnight, and he knew the party was probably going to come to an end soon anyway. He had fun while he was there, and he'd rather not stand around awkwardly. He had made up his mind and was making his way through the crowd of dancing teens to find his friends to say bye, when he realized he wasn't wearing his suit, as well as remembering that he made a promise to carpool back with Ned. He was his friends ride, and he didn't want to leave him without one.

For the sake of not ruining his night, Peter retreated to a quiet corner of the house, walking past the sporadic couples making out and the numerous games of truth or dare he came across with drunk teenagers beckoning him to join their games, to a comfortable part of the place and picked up a random book that was lying around and skimming through it to help pass the time.

"Hey weirdo," Peter looked up at the sound of Michelle's familiar voice. He saw the girl staring down at him and he closed the book — which was rightfully labeled _The Complete History of Pavement_ and was just as entertaining as it sounded — to pay attention.

She glanced down at the book, her eyes widening as if the topic was something more interesting than what it really was before the surprise faded away as quick as it came.

The concerned expression on her face uneased Peter. To him, MJ had mastered the look of indifference, but he knew she observed nearly every little detail that went on around her. When she visably reacted to something, he knew it was serious. Especially when this wasn't a smile on her face.

"You haven't seen Y/N come by here, have you?" She asked as Peter stood up.

"I-I don't think so, no." He answered truthfully. It was hard to get into a book that was decently boring. Everyone that moved by in his line of sight, he noticed. "Why? What's wrong?"

Michelle let out a worried breath, glancing around the room. "I can't find her anywhere. I've already asked Betty and Ned if they'd seen her, and got nowhere. I only left her alone for five minutes."

"Um," Peter could see the panic in her face, and feel it rise in his own chest. He was always quick to think of the worst case scenarios first, but one of the last things he wanted to do was picture Y/N in one of them. "Don't worry. I'll help you look. We'll find her."

Michelle's lips quirked up slightly in a grateful smile before she turned around and Peter followed her back into the main party.

Ned and Betty were splitting up and searching outside by the pool in the back and in the front lawn, Michelle volunteered to search the bedrooms and upstairs, so that left Peter to doing another sweep of the first floor.

Peter wasn't having any luck, unaware that the others were going through the same, until he felt someone grab his hand and yank him through the mass of dancing teens.

Peter barely caught his footing, and over the deafening music he heard someone giggling. His head shooting up, he saw Y/N holding her hands to her mouth, one of them clutching a cup.

"No wonder I haven't see you dance yet. You have two left feet, don't you?" She teased, seemingly unaware of the panic her friends were in looking for her.

Peter blinked before he found his words. He hated that for a moment he was liking the fact that Y/N's attention was on him, that she was talking to him, that she had singled him out and made him the center of her attention.

"Where were you?" He asked first, stepping closer so she could hear him better, and her arms lowered as her eyes flitted across his face. Peter began to feel his face heat up from witnessing Y/N taking her time looking at him, but his self consciousness and reminder of the task at hand came back when her gaze began to trail down.

"W-we've been looking all over for you!" Peter grabbed her attention and her eyes were back on his. He noticed the splotches of color across her cheeks, showing she was blushing even though she looked far from embarrassed and the lazy smile adorning her lips. "Y/N, are you drunk?"

"I dunno," she giggled again, going to drink out of her cup, but Peter grabbed it from her, "Am I?"

Sniffing the contents, Peter's nose scrunched. It was Sprite, but also something else that made his nose feel like it was burning more than normal soda. "I think you are." He confirmed, looking back at her with eyes full of disbelief. "What happened? I thought you didn't drink!"

Y/N leaned in, like she was telling a secret, until her lips were right by Peter's ear. "I think someone spiked the soda. Don't tell MJ though, I wanna see what she's like with some alcohol in her."

Peter just shook his head, grabbing Y/N's hand so she wouldn't disappear again, and pulling her with him as he discarded the cup. "How much of that did you have?"

She shrugged. "Until I wasn't thirsty anymore?"

With his other hand, Peter pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Come on, let's go find MJ and the others, so they know you're all right."

"No!" Y/N immediately protested, tugging Peter in the opposite direction he was trying to steer them. "I wanna dance with you!"

Peter actually, legitimately laughed. "I'm not good at dancing. Besides, everyone is worried about you, they need to know you're okay and safe with me."

Y/N pouted, the expression tempting Peter into giving in, but luckily she nodded disappointedly in agreement.

Keeping a firm grip on her hand, and constantly watching as she walked with him, Peter guided the two of them through the party and up the stairs where he knew Michelle was. He snagged a water bottle from the snack table and gave it to Y/N to drink, but she only took a couple sips.

"MJ!" Peter called out over the music when he had spotted her turning a corner from the end of the hall towards them.

"Y/N!" She then mumbled something Peter couldn't hear, but didn't doubt were curses of worry and words of relief. "There you are!"

Peter smiled as she rushed forward and enveloped Y/N in a tight hug. "Wait for me to get back before you walk off like that!"

"You were taking too long in the bathroom!" Y/N complained and Michelle's expression fell flat. "And I was thirsty and my cup was empty."

MJ's eyebrows knitted together as she stared at her friend and she opened her mouth. "Are you—"

"Yeah." Peter finished. "She is."

MJ groaned. "Your parents are gonna _kill_ me when they come back from their trip and find out you got drunk."

"Nah _hhh_ ," Y/N dismissed with a wild wave of her hand, her lips sputtering together at the end before breaking out into a laughing fit. "They love you, MJ! I love you! You're my bestie! I won't tell if you won't." She held up her hand in the scouts honor sign before realizing it was the wrong arm and trying again.

Peter shifted where he was standing, seeing Y/N glance around her as she began to hum to herself, and Michelle shift her attention back to him. "Thanks Peter, but I think I'll take her back home now. Could you tell Ned and Betty they can stop searching?"

"Oh! Yeah. Yeah, sure." He agreed. He looked back at Y/N, and she was smiling at him again, making butterflies in his stomach appear. It was such an innocent smile, one he's seen countless times since they met, but there was a different expression buring behind her eyes. One he's seen once upon a time in MJ's, and in the mirror every time he thinks about Y/N: the longing and admiration of wanting someone.

It shocked him, and blinking, Peter convinced himself he was just seeing things. And if he wasn't, that Y/N was just drunk. And by the looks of it, she probably wouldn't remember anything she was doing or feeling.

Finding his two other friends, one of which was already back inside after an unsuccessful search, he told them that Y/N was back and safe with MJ, and that the both of them were leaving. That was what he thought, at least until he spotted Michelle's head and body parting through the crowd, coralling Y/N close in front of her, the two of them stopping where Peter, Ned, and Betty were standing.

"Hey, I thought you guys had left." Betty stated confusedly.

"We have to stick around another hour or so." MJ sighed. "My dad isn't getting out of work until two. He accepted taking another shift because someone called out." She sighed. "This wouldn't be a problem if my car didn't break down last week."

"Woah, she really is out of it." Ned chuckled, and Peter fowed his gaze to Y/N, who was begining to play with Michelle's hair, bouncing curls and whispering 'so soft' under her breath. MJ was not amused.

"I can take her home." Peter found himself blurting, and all eyes turned to him. "I-I mean, it wouldn't be a problem— _wait_ , Ned, is-is that okay?"

"I mean, I wanted to stay a little longer, but I don't really care."

"Aww," Betty complained a little. "That's fine though. Y/N should probably get home, and I'd rather her be safe."

There was silence from the group, spare Y/N's quiet muttering as she began to braid some loose strands of MJ's hair.

"You don't have to leave Ned." Peter then interjected before the plan was solidified. The gears of his brain was turning. Even with Y/N, the welfare of their friend, he didn't want Ned to lose out on fun and time with his girlfriend. Not when he fought hard to get here in the first place. "Betty, you can drive him back, right? You two aren't planning on drinking. MJ, you can come to if you want. I mean, I just got my license, but I drove here in May's car. We'll all fit."

Everyone looked at MJ; Ned and Betty hopefully, Y/N in a dazed state as she continued to mess with her friends hair, and Peter just looking for an answer. He was feeling too many emotions to be feeling just one.

"Whatever. Stay safe guys." She then gently grabbed Y/N's wrist and pulled it from her head. "Let's go."

Peter felt inexplicably nervous as he drove away from the party, Y/N in the backseat with Michelle there to try and sober her up some with water and to make sure if she throws up, it'll make it into the bag she found. He felt even more so when he realized what street he was on, and decided to throw an idea out there.

"Hey, MJ, since you're closer, do you want me to drop you off first, o-or do you want me to bring her back home with you?"

Glancing in the rear view mirror, he could see Michelle staring at it with a raised eyebrow. Y/N was silently watching traffic and apartment buildings go by from out of the window, the different lights highlighting her face different bright and neon colors, mouthing different words of the things she saw.

For a couple of seconds, it stayed silent, and Peter began to realize how stupid of a question that was. Of course she would want to make sure her best friend got home safely, especially because she was so drunk off her ass. He was about to make the turn that would lead them quicker to Y/N's apartment when MJ spoke up.

"If you want. I might as well get back home. I have to make my dad some breakfast and lunch because his shift tomorrow starts at five. He'll be exhausted, and he needs to eat. It's the best I can do for him." She sighed.

"O-okay." Peter kept driving forward.

"Send me a text when you get inside. You better not try anything, Parker." MJ warned, talking through the open passenger side window as Y/N shouted goodbyes from the backseat.

"I won't! Y-you know I won't." He promised, watching as Michelle climbed the stairs to her front door and disappeared.

Peter shouldn't have jumped when Y/N's head poked from the backseat and appeared next to him, but he somehow hadn't even heard the click of her seat belt or even the rustling of her moving until she was right there next to him.

"I can sit here, yeah?" She asked as she clamored into the front seat, a wide grin on her face.

"Yeah, sure." Peter smiled. "Buckle up."

"Yessir." She said with a mock salute before following the order, and Peter shifted the car back into gear and drove off. The new destination her apartment.

He wasn't entirely sure what to expect. On the drive there, Y/N began to ramble. With every word, Peter felt his heard swell with admiration. She wasn't even saying anything that was related to him, but just the way she talked about nonsense was something he adored. Whether it was because she was drunk or not — because he knew she did her fair share of rambling when she was sober — Peter enjoyed every second of it.

But then came the new focused topic: him.

It started once Peter had dragged her out of the car after parking it in front of her apartment building. She had wanted to continue driving around, but he had successfully talked her out of that. If only he could get her to stop talking about _him,_ and to work with him.

Peter kept his groan to himself when he saw that the elevator was out of order, and that they would have to walk up the seven floors. It wasn't that bad at first, but with each increasing step, it grew worse.

"Y'know, I'm kinda happy I'm drunk."

Peter glanced at Y/N as they slowly climbed. "What?"

"I'm happy I'm drunk. If not, I would never have the guts to admit I really like you."

Peter nearly choked on air, and saw that Y/N was getting a kick out of his reaction.

" _Ohhh_ yeah. You know, you're really attractive? In both the like cute and innocent boy-next-door kind of way and in the 'oh my god, how can you be so shucking hot?' kind of way." She said, laughing as Peter stammered to try and find some kind of words to speak.

He felt himself burning, nearly paralyzed from the new knowledge echoing in his head.

"You're _really_ drunk, Y/N." Peter said softly. Trying to hammer in that thought. She didn't mean what she said, he shouldn't get hung up on it. But he also was putting that nail in right now, wasn't he?

"Noo _o_!" She argued childishly. Peter almost fell when he went up the next step, because from where he was holding Y/N around the waist to make sure she didn't fall, she had planted herself on the stair and stopped moving in an instant.

"Come on, move your feet," he urged, but she just crossed her arms.

"But they _hurt_!" She whined, leaning against the wall. "I was on my feet all day, and then you dragged me to that party!"

"I don't doubt you on that first half, but that second one isn't even remotely close to what happened." Peter chuckled before sighing, running a quick hand through his hair to move his bangs away from his face. "We only have two flights left. Then we can get to your bedroom, and you can sleep this off in your bed."

Y/N just stared at him with a blank expression, blinking innocently before she yawned. "Just leave me here." She started to slide down the wall. "I'll sleep on the stairs."

"Y/N, no." Peter tried pulling her back up, but she just groaned.

"Y/N, yes." She swatted his arm away. "Go home Peter," she slurred, "I'll be _fiiiiiiine_!"

She nearly screamed that last word, her voice loud enough to make one of her neighbors yell for her to shut up. Peter quickly shouted back an apology while Y/N burst into laughter as she began to lay on the steps. Peter just sighed again, staring down at the girl before closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he bent down and laced an arm under her legs.

"Woah!" Y/N exclaimed as Peter's other arm slinked around her back and he picked her up. "What the hell? Are you carrying me up the stairs?" Peter noticed that her voice was equal parts surprised, impressed, and confused.

"Yes." He shyly answered, his face tomato red. At least they were ascending at a normal speed now. He just hoped no one in their right mind would open their doors this late and see how effortless the act was for Peter to pull off.

"Any other day, I would kill you," Y/N started. Her voice then lowered as she yawned again, resting her head on Peter's shoulder. The butterflies in his stomach multiplied by ten. "But I kinda like this." She snickered. "That's a secret though. Don't tell me!"

"Alright, I won't." Peter smiled as the girl laughed quietly in his arms.

She tightened her arms around his neck. "You're really strong," she then murmered into his neck, and Peter shuddered from the goosebumps her warm breath against his skin gave him.

"I guess," Peter really hoped she didn't remember any of this at this point. Not only had she said some embarrassing things, but she also didn't know about him being Spider-Man. The only ones who did were May, Ned, and MJ. He rounded the corner and began climbing the last flight. "Hey, do you—" he stopped when he heard a light snore erupt from her. "Wow, okay."

Getting to her apartment was easy from then. Peter had a little difficulty fishing her keys from his pocket without dropping or waking her up, but he had succeeded.

Slowly, he maneuvered through the apartment in the dark, carefully testing to make sure he wouldn't trip or run into anything.

Y/N groaned a little in his arms. "Are we there yet?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Almost. Go back to sleep." He whispered.

"Okay." She smiled, getting comfy on his shoulder again.

Peter entered her room and gently placed the girl on her bed. Immediately, she grabbed a pillow and started to settle, so he made quick work of discarding her shoes and checking to see if there were any pins in her hair. She wasn't wearing makeup as far as he could tell, so he let her be.

Backing away, Peter took a second to smile at Y/N's sleeping form. He thought she looked the most peaceful he'd ever seen her. He covered her up with her blanket up to her shoulders, and began to pull away to find some pen and paper for a note for the morning when her soft voice stopped him.

"Please stay, Peter," she mumbled, her eyes closed, but her arm outstretched on the bed, reaching for him.

"Y/N—"

"Please?" She repeated and Peter bit his lip as he thought.

"Only for a little bit." He told her, sitting down next to her and pulling out his phone. He turned the brightness down and texted MJ first, telling her about Y/N's safe arrival and how she was already sleeping. He had instantly got a reply.

 **MJ: Thanks Peter. Maybe you're not** **such a huge dork after all.**

He chuckled a little at the message before he felt Y/N's arm curl around him, trying to pull him closer.

"Lay down with me. I want cuddles." She groaned half into her pillow, half into the air.

Peter hesitated. Sure, he's hugged people, but cuddling together in a bed was a first. He was sure his heart was going to beat right out of his chest — or maybe that was just his hearing amplifying the sound of it in his head.

"I can't stay, Y/N." He tried to argue.

"Yes you can. I'll make sure you don't get in trouble." She sleepily countered.

Peter was afraid if he continued to try and leave, he would wake her up, so he had opened his messages again and sent a quick explanation to his aunt about where he was and why. He knew he could trust her not to tell anyway.

**May: oh thank God, I can go to bed. It's fine sweetie, make sure she takes something for the headache in the morning. If you guys want, you can come over tomorrow and I'll make some food. Love you both. Good night.**

**Thank you.**

"Looks like you won," Peter said softly, kicking off his shoes, clicking off his phone and laying down on his side next to Y/N. In the dark it was a little hard for him to make out the details of her face, but he was sure she was smiling.

It didn't take long for Y/N to move closer, and Peter's arm instinctively went around her waist as she leaned her head against his chest. He just hoped he didn't run hot enough for his temperature to make Y/N uncomfortable, because with the intimate position, Peter felt like he was on fire.

He tried to push away his worries: that something could go wrong as they slept, or that when Y/N woke up, she would regret asking him to stay, or anything else for that matter. He just wanted to enjoy it while it lasted, as selfish as it may have seemed to him.

He could feel her breathing, as well as hear it. The rise and fall of her lungs as his arm wrapped around her back, pressing her into him. He never wanted this conscious moment to end, because if he closed his eyes, he could see a different world where it wouldn't. Where maybe him and Y/N could be together and that going to sleep and waking up in each other's arms could be the new normal.

•°•○•°•○•°•

  
Peter groaned as sunlight filled the room, making bright light shine from behind his eyelids. He immediately shifted his head down, burying his head into Y/N's hair. He could smell her shampoo, and that seemed to wake him up even faster than the sun.

He moved back as last nights events replayed, catching his dazed self up. Y/N shifted at his sudden movement, and before he could try and coax her back to sleep, she was stretching out on the bed and waking up.

Peter felt frozen as he watched her eyes slowly open to see him laying across from her. He filled with panic, thinking the worst.

To his surprise, Y/N just took a moment to stare at him, a small smile appearing on her lips before she closed her eyes again and shifted to bury her head in her pillow.

"Um..." Peter blinked, unsure what to do. "Are you awake?" He asked softly and slowly

"Yeah," she replied. "But you're even cuter in the morning and I wanna commit that to memory."

If Peter wasn't only half awake, he would have choked on thin air again. Instead, he just continued to lay unmoving, his mind racing. He was trying to figure out if this meant Y/N remembered what she had done, even in her intoxicated state.

"So uh," he paused and watched as Y/N opened one of her eyes to look at him, "you remember...everything?"

"Well, if this killer headache speaks for anything, I know I got drunk. But since I didn't think we were naked under this blanket, I'm assuming so." She laughed quietly before groaning, rolling to her back and stretching before bringing her hands to her face. "I don't think I could have been any stupider last night. God, I said _so much._ "

Peter stayed silent, staring down at his hands as the both of them sat up on the bed. After a minute though, he felt Y/N's eyes on him, and he turned back to her in the quickly filling awkward air as she spoke.

"I didn't make us weird, did I?" She asked, her voice soft and apologetic. "I know—I know I said I liked you last night. And I pretty much just did again. A-and now, you're not saying anything, and — I thought maybe...how you always act around me...maybe you would feel the same way?" Peter's eyes widened from surprise, but from the panicked expression on Y/N's, he could tell that's not what she thought. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have — _dammit_ , why couldn't I have—"

"Wait! Wait, no Ireallylikeyoutoo!" Peter blurted, shifting sharply on the bed, making the mattress bounce. "I uh," he felt blood rush to his face again. "I really like you too."

"Oh." A smile came back to her face. "Well, that's cool."

They both let out short laughs, filled to the brim with surprise and relief. "Maybe the situation could have been a little better, but at least I found out."

"Oh yeah, I really don't have any filter when I'm drunk it seems." Y/N chuckled and Peter found himself smiling so wide he could barely see the person next to him. "Hey, I have a question."

"Yeah? Yeah, shoot." He shifted towards her and gave her his full attention.

"How in the nine realms did you carry me up the stairs like that?"

Peter had gotten over his fear of eye contact a while ago, but now it was coming back full force as Y/N stared right into his eyes, searching for some kind of answer.

"Um," he sucked in air through his teeth as he tried to think. He knew he trusted Y/N, but he didn't want to mess up what they could possibly become. In the end, he knew he had to give her an answer, and he was a terrible liar when it came to confrontation. "See, I got bit by this spider a couple years ago..."  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I _wanted_ to write a post-FFH fic, I even have a plot and everything, but all of the news and leaks are so far off from what I thought was going to happen and now I'm not sure I will 🤷


	38. It's Spooky Time [HolidayVerse]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write
> 
> Warning(s): just a fair warning, this one definitely earns the books T rating lol

"Three more days until Halloween! Do you know what that means?" You asked excitedly, hopping over the couch and planting yourself in a sitting position next to Tony.

"Wha— do I want to?"

"It's spooky time!"

Tony had been expecting you, having heard your footsteps, but he wasn't expecting Peter to drop from the ceiling and flop down on his other side. The two of you now having succeeded in sandwiching the man in the middle of two grinning teenagers.

"Holy _shit_ , never do that again!" Tony yelped, a hand over his chest as he began to even out his breaths.

"But it's due time for some spooks, Mr. Stark,"

"And I have a bad heart!"

"Sure you do, grandpa." You snorted, stealing a chip from the bowl on his lap. You couldn't tell if he was more offended by your nickname, or by the fact that you stole his food. "You don't think we forgot about your surgery, do you?"

"Surgery or no surgery, I still have a bad heart." Tony spat back with no real fire behind his words. He was just slightly annoyed. Probably because you were crunching chips only inches from his face.

While you leaned back to give him some space, you could've swore you heard him mutter _"_ _I'm_ _too old_ _for_ _this"_ and you smirked, knowing that Tony Stark wouldn't get caught dead admitting he was too old for anything.

"What do you guys want." Tony paused the movie he was watching. "Shouldn't you be making out in a closet or something? It's already frustrating enough Pepper grounded me from the lab."

"Um, no," You said, sounding as sure as you could from nearly getting caught off guard. You didn't need to look up at Peter. You could see the red of his face bright enough from your peripheral vision. Everyone was always trying to set the two of you up while completing ignoring the fact that you were perfectly content with just being friends.

"Come on Tony, it's been spooky season for so long!" You quickly steered the conversation back in the direction of your original purpose.

"And we want to do some Halloween stuff!" Peter continued and you nodded your head in agreement.

"And what do you need _me_ for?"

"Isn't it obvious? You know all the best haunts around here!"

Tony stared blankly ahead before letting out an exasperated sigh and sinking into the couch with a hand over his face.

"I get it, because I am one. Hardy har har, hilarious, kids. If you wanna call someone old, I'm sure Cap's around here somewhere. Go bother him."

"Where's your sense of excitement for the best holiday out there?!" Peter groaned.

"Your thirst for collecting pillowcases of candy and being sick for days?!" You joined.

"Your want to dress up as kick-ass heroes?!"

You paused. "We already are kick-ass heroes, Pete."

"Oh. Right." He froze for a millisecond before the two of you fistbumped — still perched on the couch — over a completely over it Tony Stark.

"To get the everloving shit scared out of you with the best horror out there?" You immediately started again.

"To—"

"All right, that's it." Tony interuppted, standing up with his bowl of chips under his arm. You and Peter scooted to get more comfortable without Tony being there to keep the both of you sitting up. "I've seen enough horror to last me three lifetimes, so how about you go find Captain Lobster or Widow or anyone else and leave me and _my_ chips" — you crunched down on the last one from your hand and Tony defensively tightened his grip on his bowl — "alone so I can watch Cake Boss in peace." He paused, watching for any objections from the two of you, who, while disappointed, didn't want to start an argument with your father figure/mentor. "If it's any consolation, it's a Halloween themed episode."

"The zombie parade one?" Peter chirped.

"Something like that," Tony shrugged. "Anyway, if you kids have a real emergency, like New York is under attack again, or you have unprotected sex and need me to put away another college fund, I'll be in the comfort of my A.I. locked bedroom on my private floor. Why I didn't go there first, I will never understand."

"May your marathon go with no further interupptions." Peter said as a parting, and Tony tossed a chip at him before stepping into the elevator.

"Why don't you ever say that to me?" You asked, only partially meaning it. "Nevermind. Let's just go find Steve."

"Ohkay." Peter said through a mouthful of chip and jumping up to follow you.

An elevator ride down to Steve's floor, Peter had F.R.I.D.A.Y. announce your arrivals. In a minute, Captain America himself was meeting the both of you — both excited and bouncing on your heels — looking confused and like he just woke up. At three in the afternoon.

"Do you kids need something?" Steve sounded slightly annoyed as well, but you knew it wasn't because of you and Peter this time.

"Just have a question," Peter answered.

"It won't take long, don't worry, Bucky'll forget you even left." You said in a voice so casual it put both Peter and Steve into a stunned silence. "Say Cap, you wouldn't remember any good places to go to on Halloween from when you were a kid, would you?"

"Um," Steve got over his silence and a smile slowly crept onto his face. "I'm taking you're not talking about which houses give out the most candy, because I'm certain Mrs. Donovan probably passed a while ago. She was already ancient in 1928."

"Haunted houses, corn mazes, those sort of things," Peter clarified.

"Well there was this one house on Nostrand me and Buck and a couple other kids coulda swore were filled with ghosts. The windows were always boarded up and the door was always off it's hinges and swinging even when there was no wind." Steve stopped and his smile soured a little. "I actually think it's a Dunkin Donuts or some other fast food resteraunt, so it wouldn't really matter."

"That's all you can remember?" You were going 0 for 2 here, and the disappointment settled in a little more.

"There wasn't many attractions when I was growing up. At least, none I could afford." Steve smiled sadly. "Sorry I couldn't help."

"It's fine Mr. America—Rogers, Sir,"

You raised an eyebrow and shot Peter a _what the hell? l_ ook as Steve just laughed. "Steve is fine, Peter."

"Right. Steve."

"We'll see you around Cap," you gave him a lazy salute before hooking your arm around Peter's and pulling him away. "You've got some unfinished business to attend to."

Peter pressed the elevator button and when the doors closed, you nearly doubled over laughing.

" ' _Mr. America Rogers, Sir'_?"

"I _panicked._ " Peter rolled his eyes. "And what was up with you and rushing that conversation so fast? If you didn't do that, I would've had time to settle on a name."

"Any second, we were going to get a horny ex-Winter Soldier drag Steve out of the room himself. Now I don't know about you, but I want to stay on Bucky's good side and not be on his meddling teenagers list like you already are."

"Hey!" But then Peter thought about it a second as the both of you were still traveling down. "Okay, fair. But how would you know that."

Then you snickered. "I don't know how hard it was to miss Captain America's boner."

And that was how you became the recieving end of Peter's _'why_ _would_ _you look at it?"_ speech, to which you blatantly replied with _"you would too if you weren't a decent human being"_

The both of you found out the hard way that Bruce was unwinding from the last missions surprise 'Code Green', Natasha was on a solo mission in Transylvania (how fitting), Sam was visiting his family in Washington, and basically everyone else was too busy.

"Thor would've totally gone with us if he wasn't off world." Peter grumbled from where the both of you were laying on the floor, having given up from trying to form an Avengers scared buddies group to tour as many of New York's Haunted Houses and other Halloween attractions until one emerged the Fearless.

"Oh, you'll be able to spend time with your man-crush soon enough." You tell him, sighing, and turning your head to face him. "Wanna just head out by ourselves?" Then your lips curled up into a cruel smile. "I wanna get you screaming like Dean i.e. Yellow Fever on video."

"Excuse me," Peter propped himself up on his elbow. "I can't ever get scared in a haunted house, I have my spider-sense, thank you very much."

"Your Peter-Tingle, right," you said, agreeing sarcastically.

" _Spider-sense._ I'm sick of people calling it that!"

"Whatever you say, O Fearless One."

"I'm serious! Just watch. I'll earn that title."

"You do that, and we can watch Monster House again. You get scared, and we're watching Coraline."

"Deal." Peter stuck out his hand and you firmly shook it. "But there's no way you're getting me to watch that demon movie tonight."

"You know it only gets scarier the closer to Halloween you watch it," you said teasingly as Peter helped you up from the floor.

"If I had half a mind, I would've dropped you." Peter deadpanned after he finished pulling you up and you patted his shoulder.

"Thanks for proving you're smarter than that." Then you narrowed your eyes. "You wouldn't want to make an enemy this close to Halloween." Then you smiled again, completely ignoring the horrified look on Peter's face and pulling him towards the doors like nothing had happened.

You vetoed against swinging around New York until you found at least one decent haunted house — since it was nearing sunset because you and Peter had procrastinated in your disappointed state — the next best option was the both of you driving around in the car Tony had bought you for your sixteenth birthday so you could avoid Happy's grumbling or one of May's unsuccessful but always determined, attempts at trying to turn your outing between two friends into a date.

After finding a spot to park a couple blocks away from the actual house, walking that distance, and waiting in line to pay admission, you and Peter had finally gotten to a haunted house on the day you planned on going to one.

"Alright Spider-Man," you muttered as the employee pushed you and Peter, the two of you being the next pair, into the house and you pointed your phone at the boy. "I got my camera ready."

"Shut up." Peter shot back right before the already dark lights flickered and he tensed up.

"You were saying?"

"That doesn't count."

After getting lost in twisting hallways with mirrors, getting ankles grabbed by people hiding under tables, and jumpscared by the cliché guy in a mask and with a chainsaw, you thought it was fitting to laugh at Peter, who had panicked again, screamed, and nearly jumped high enough to stick to the ceiling if you hadn't yanked him down in time.

"Where's your Peter-Tingle now?" You laughed, rewatching a video clip and collapsing against the wall with your hands on your knees as a confused costumed actor just went back to their hiding place.

"It's going off like crazy!" He hissed. "I have told you it's basically like ultra anxiety, right? And since this place is filled with scares around every corner, it's not helping at all!" He admitted in defeat. "Just please delete those,"

You stood back up, leaning your elbow up on Peter's shoulder as the two of you kept on walking through. "Oh Petey, how naïve of you to think I haven't already uploaded them to Stark servers as well as saving the videos to my own personal Peter video collection on backups outside of my phone."

"You have a _video collection_?! Of me doing what?"

"Nothing you need to know." You glanced at him.

"If it's me, I think I should be able to know about it!"

"Actually—" you began to argue.

Suddenly, you felt an arm clamp around your waist and a small squeak escape Peter as he pulled you slightly behind him. You quickly looked down the hall instead of at his face and saw a door closing directly across from one on the opposite side of the hall. Someone must've walked past and you were too busy relishing in your victory and Peter's priceless face to realize.

"Don't even start." Peter grumbled when he saw your raised eyebrows and slight smile.

"Okay," you agreed in a beat. "But only 'cause the exit's right there." You pointed to the faint red sign at the end of the hall.

"Thank God!" Peter nearly shouted with enthusiasm, pulling you so fast down the hall your feet were almost off the ground, and he burst through the door into the night outside. And he didn't even stop until the both of you were "safe" back in your car.

"I can't believe I fight bad guys with you." You chuckled as you turned the keys in the ignition and Peter buckled up. "Scared of actors in crappy makeup and decade old costumes.'

"Like you're not afraid of anything,"

"Who was the one who clung to me like a newborn with separation anxiety?" Peter just glared at you. "Uh huh," you smiled just as you pulled onto the street to head back home.

"I'm going to hack into your servers, you know."

"You do that." You tell him, doubting he'll get past both Tony's firewalls and the ones you installed yourself after you and Natasha had done some coding. "Until then, what do you call me?"

"No! That was never part of the deal!"

"I just want to hear it once!" You crowed. "Come on Peter!"

"Didn't I already go through enough torture for one day?" Peter thumped his head against the car window.

"Just wait until Tony sees these! He'll wish he tagged along then," you mused out loud, pulling another louder groan from the boy next to you.

"What have I done to deserve this?"

"I think you signed up for it when you bugged me enough to accept your request to be friends on that dreadful night many moons ago. Now you have quit me cold turkey or live long enough to reap the rewards."

Peter mumbled something and you wished you had some kind of superhearing like most people around the Tower, but the tone of his voice alone was enough to make your smile widen and your foot to step a little harder on the gas pedal, suddenly even more eager to get home.

•••Bonus!•••

  
Peter was pressed so close to you under the blanket you were sharing, someone could mistake the two of you for one body mass. 

"We shouldn't have turned off the lights." Peter whispered shakily to you.

"How else are you supposed to watch a movie?" You shot back. 

"But the Other Mother is the most terrifying creature in the world!" He whined, shrinking down into the bed. If you weren't holding the blanket at your shoulders, Peter probably would have succeeded in going underneath enough to shield his eyes. 

"Aren't you _Spider-Man_? Maybe you're related or something." 

"Oh _God_ , don't put that thought into my head." He almost whined. "Just because I got bit by one, doesn't mean I _like_ spiders!" 

"I get it," You said, using the excuse of talking to him to not watch the screen, knowing the events of the movie. You weren't going to admit that you were scared of the movie as well. 

Still, it didn't save you from flinching when the Other Mother's hand began to chase after Coraline. 

"Wait." 

"Peter," you warned. 

"O Fearless One? Art thou not worthy of your title?" 

"Shut up! I _earned_ it!" 

"But you flinched!" Peter began to grin. 

His satisfaction in knowing the movie you had picked still creeped you out was short lived, the both of you jumping simultaneously, Peter grabbing your hand and you leaning even further into him, and the both of you mutually benefitting from the comfort of each other. 

"Truce?" You looked at Peter. 

"Truce." You nodded. "We're still watching Monster House after this, right?"

"Yeah. Duh." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is still praying for Buddy's hand to become what it once was again? Maybe he should visit Kamar-Taj.
> 
> 《 I have a very vague idea that might turn into holiday themed sequel chapters that show relationship progression, but right now it's just a thought that's playing pinball in my head. They would be based on American holidays, if I decide to follow through. Just a heads up for anyone who might not be from the United States.》
> 
> Guys, I know this is kinda (really) late, but UNCHARTED!!!!
> 
> I've always freaking loved the games my entire life so hearing about the movie was one of the best news I've ever recieved in my life. And _Tom_ is playing Nathan Drake??
> 
> And SPIDER-MAN 3 started filming!!?! I’m about 200% happier than I normally am because of these things lol.
> 
> Sorry. I just have to rant to someone, no one in my house cares lol. I'm just over here replaying the games in preparation and accumulating SM3 theories.


	39. Super (secret hero) Nanny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be the last chapter I posted before hiatus, but apparently I didn't. Whoops?
> 
> Warning(s): there isn't any I don't think
> 
> Y/S/N = your (little) sister's name in case it's a little confusing. It pops up a lot :)

"Does Y/S/N _really_ need a babysitter?" You smiled, letting out a dry chuckle after your mother filled you in on crucial information she was keeping to herself until the last minute. "I thought I was basically a built in one; I figured that's why you had me first, you know. Why waste your money?"

"I know you are," Your mom rolled her eyes as she grabbed her coat and slipped her arms through the sleeves. "And I'm not wasting my money, Peter's going to be watching you too."

"Ah, sure," you nodded your head. "And why's he gotta watch me?"

"We all know you study too loud. Someone's gotta keep you in check so you don't wake the neighbors." She smiled and this time it was your turn to roll your eyes.

"Seriously though," you started, standing up from where you were sitting down and following your mom out into the hall. "Y/S/N's twelve and I'm nearly seventeen. We can watch ourselves.

"I'm doing a friend a favor." Your mom and explained as she grabbed her keys and paused at the door. "His aunt May, told me that Peter's looking for a way to earn some extra money so he can buy an upgrade part for his computer. I figured this'll be an easy hundred bucks."

"Right. So, you're paying a teenage boy to sit around out hours for hours while me and Y/S/N act completely normal and have no need for babysitting?" You asked, trying to find some logic in the decision she had made.

"Think of it less as babysitting, and more of the chance to make a new friend. Hm?" Your mother prompted, shrugging her shoulders as you stared blankly at her.

"Friend. Ha. That's funny." You shook your head. "What's he even like? How do you suppose I would even like him?"

"He's pretty cute, if you ask me."

"Seriously, Mom?" You scoffed before a small annoyed frown formed on your face.

"What? I'm just saying," she raised her eyebrows suggestively as you continued to hold your face. "It wouldn't hurt if you actually took interest in someone. Like you said, you're nearly seventeen, and I haven't had to deal with any boyfriends!"

"You are _so_ weird, you know that? I thought you'd be thrilled you wouldn't have to worry about me being mistreated or losing my virginity in the back of a car or something." You chuckled, your voice full of disbelief.

"At this rate, I'll have to skip the worrying about you stage and go straight to your sister."

"Oh, we all know she already has a boyfriend." You both laughed. "Look, you know I can't find anyone I like, let alone people who like me, so I just stopped trying." You shrugged your shoulders, leaning against the wall as the both of you waited. "So, know anything about this Peter guy?"

"I think I'll let you find out on your own." Your mom winked and you let out a sigh.

"You know but won't tell me in attempts to force me to be social with a stranger? How motherly of you." You nodded your head, expecting nothing less from your mother.

You saw she was about to say something when there was a tentative knock on the door. Your mom mouthed a quick _"be nice"_ to you before calling to your sister. "This must be him." The door opened and she smiled at the boy standing nervously on the other side. "Peter? Come on in," She stepped back and let him enter and you got your first good look as your heard your sister come down the stairs.

"Woah," Y/S/N sort of took the word from your own mouth. He definitely wasn't what you were expecting. He was around your age with wavy chocolate hair that looked soft to touch, paired with warm brown eyes that matched. Light freckles dotted his cheeks and a small smile graced his lips. Honestly, you did find him in fact, really cute. His body on the other hand, while it was also hidden by a baggy sweater to combat the chilly weather outside, was a different story.

"Y/S/N," you berated your sister as if you weren't thinking the same thing before you held out your hand as your mother began to introduce you.

"This is my eldest. You two are the same age." She had to add that in there.

"Y/N," you told him as you shook his hand, giving him a small smile as you pulled back. You ignored the soft tingling you felt get left behind from his touch.

"Hi." Peter's voice was soft. He really was anxious to be here. You couldn't help but wonder if he thought somehow he would mess up, or if his aunt had said something along the same lines as your mother did to you to him.

"Y/S/N is the one you actually have to watch today." Your mom continued, you the younger girl carefully stepped forward, looking over Peter with wide eyes, too awestruck to actually shake his hand. "I put both my personal and work numbers on the fridge, along with a list of allergies just in case. The only things you really have to do is make sure Y/S/N does her homework. If you don't check up on her, she'll try to get away with not doing it at all. Other than that, I think everything should be just fine." The woman smiled. "I'll be back a little after eleven. That's all right, right?" She asked him.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's perfect." You watched as he assured your mom. Peter smiled and he three of you waved bye to your mom, you and your sister saying a quick goodbye as she left. "Hi," he sad again after the door shut and the three kids were left alone, like he wasn't sure what else to say.

"Hi." A large grin appeared on your sister's face. "I didn't think we would get a pretty boy to watch us,"

You had to bite back a snicker when you noticed Peter was the type of person to get easily embarrassed, a shocked look mixing with gradually flowering pinkness tinging his skin. That was probably opposite of what he was expecting to hear.

"Go start your homework, _Mrs. Matthews_." You pushed your sister towards the living room where her book bag was lazily on the couch from when the two of you got home from school, and she grumpily stomped away. Then you turned toward the still shocked boy. "Don't mind her," you got his attention. "She's just a giant flirt with anyone she finds even remotely attractive. Peter, right?"

"Oh. Um, yeah. Y/N?"

"Yup." You folded your arms. "Mom forgot to tell you, but Y/S/N has to be in bed before ten. Punishment for finding her awake and giggling at her phone at three in the morning. The trick is you gotta hide it where she wouldn't think to look."

"Okay. Ten, got it." To your surprise, he held eye contact with you. "Do you have a bedtime?" He asked you jokingly, and you weren't expecting to smile with him. Peter seemed to radiate a really friendly and comfortable aura.

"It's Friday. Besides, sleep doesn't really agree with me." You saw him open his mouth o question but you kept going before he could. "Also, don't let her trick you into buying takeout for dinner. We have enough food to make a weeks worth of meals. Um, there's open chips on the fridge if you want any, and you can watch movies or play a game or whatever on the PlayStation. Up for grabs to use, just use the guest account. What else?" You tapped your chin. "Oh yeah, the bathroom's up the stairs and to the left, Y/S/N's room is first to the right, and mine's second if you need me for anything."

You turned to walk up the stairs, but Peter's voice stopped you. "You-you're not staying?"

"I have an essay to finish, and then a date with my favorite book." You smiled apologetically. There was something about him that made you believe he sincerely wanted you to stay. You wondered what the odds were of him finding you endearing enough to want to spend time with someone he didn't know. "I'm warning you twice about Y/S/N. She really is a big flirt. She'll say just about anything to make you blush. Don't let her get you again; just asked her about her boyfriend Ryan."

"Okay." Peter laughed and you refused to acknowledge the look in his eyes asking you to stay again. Instead, you waved before heading up to your bedroom.

  
You knew it wouldn't be long before someone came into your room. You had screamed anyway.

Currently, you were on the floor. You had thrown yourself from your bed, and your eyes were glued on the small arachnid hanging on it's thin web above where you were just comfortably resting on your mattress just a few moments ago.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Surprisingly, Peter had thrown the door open first, your sister a few steps behind him with an unamused look on her face. You caught her rolling her eyes.

"It's just a spider." She said dully, answering for you because you were momentarily frozen. She pushed Peter out of the way and followed your panicked gaze, squishing the creature between her hands and then swiping away the web. "She's terrified of them." The younger girl was in and out before you or Peter could speak. He just watched, confused, as Y/S/N just walked out of the room and back down the hall to go back downstairs.

"Are you— are you okay?" Peter questioned again after a minute. Your heart had begun to calm down but it was still racing as you stood up, brushing your sweating palms against your shirt as you fixed it.

"Yeah." You answered slowly, clearing your throat. "Yeah, just scared."

"You're afraid of spiders?" Peter asked you, beginning to chuckle, but he shut up quick when he noticed you glaring at him.

"I get petrified, there's a big difference. My arachnophobia is _bad_." You retorted, picking up your book from the ground where it had jumped off the bed with you. Then you stared down at the cover in your hands, your voice going quiet from embarrassment. "S-Sorry you had to witness that."

"No, no it's fine, really." Peter assured you, stepping closer. "Your heart's still beating pretty fast." He pointed out and you looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Well, normally when I see a spider, it's in a corner and I can back away safely and get someone to kill it for me. But this time, it literally invited itself in and invaded my privacy in my safest place. How would you like it if you were blissfully reading and then _boom!_ A spider decides to descended into view between paragraphs and wave hello?" You heard Peter laugh a little again, but you knew it was less because of your fear and more because of how animated you talked, retelling the short story with your hands to recreate the scene. You couldn't help but to crack a small smile as you started to calm down.

"Alright, I get that," Peter paused, and you saw his eyes shift down to the book in your hands. "What're you reading?"

"Hm?" You looked between him and the book in your hands before showing him the cover. "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. This has got to be at least my fiftieth time rereading the series. It's one of the ones I always default too."

"Must be good then."

"I think so." You took a deep breath. "What time is it?" You decided to ask before the silence became awkward.

"I think almost five? I was just about to start dinner actually, if you want to come out?"

You raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna cook?" This time, you were the one to laugh.

"Hey, I make a _great_ grilled cheese." Peter argued, sending a wide smile in your direction.

"I won't believe it until I eat it."

  
"You actually got her to sleep?" You asked incredulously as you entered the living room to find Peter on the couch, reading a book. "Did you seriously take her phone too?"

"I mean," Peter looked up at your presence. "You said so," He closed the book and tried to hide it from your view. Not so subtly doing so. "It's in the cookie jar. Which was empty by the way. Very disappointing."

"I did. I just thought she would find a way around it." You smiled as you sat down on the other side of the couch, across from him. "I actually really think she's asleep, her light isn't even on. And yeah, the cookies barely ever make it to the jar. Most times they barely make it to the oven."

"Well that's a tease." Peter shook his head disappointedly.

"What are you reading?" You questioned, and you watched as Peter avoided your gaze and begin to flush again.

"Nothing really," he answered quickly, and you glanced down to see the cover. And you recognized the cover immediately.

"I see you found my missing book." You grinned. "Cinder's really good. The start of a series if you're interested." You hummed, reaching forward and grabbing chips from a nearly empty bowl.

"Y/S/N said it was one of your favorites," Peter mumbled so softly, you didn't know if it was something you weren't meant to hear. You spoke anyway.

"Well, she's not wrong," you answered back casually, not missing how Peter tuned a deeper shade of pink. "Is that why you started reading it?" You decided to press.

"Um," he pulled the book from his side and placed down on the coffee table.

"It's all right if it is, I won't just be you." You raised an eyebrow at his hesitation.

"I just thought, maybe I could have some kind of conversation starter?" Peter bashfully admitted. "I'm a big book reader too, so maybe, I thought we could have a common interest."

"You thought you'd make it though an entire book tonight?" You chuckled.

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be so long. Y/S/N didn't tell me how long it was when she helped me find it." Peter countered. "I read a decent amount though. I'm about a quarter or so through."

"Nice." Was all you could say. You weren't expecting him to say that. "I take it you like it?"

Peter shrugged. "Yeah."

"I'd let you read it, but I'm kinda attached to my books and I don't like seeing them without me." You laughed. "So really, either plant to stop reading my copy, or come around more often."

"Is that an invitation?" Peter asked and you looked up to see his eyes shining. You just smiled. You would be lying if you said he wasn't growing on you.

"Yeah. I guess it is."

  
This was the fourth time Peter's come over to "babysit" for your family. Your mom was more than willing to see him any other time, if you ever decided to admit to yourself that you actually liked him and wanted to ask him out.

After that first night, she had come home to see the two of you laughing together on the couch. There wasn't a movie or game or music on, you we just talking for a couple of hours until she got home. That was the moment she realized that Peter was the best idea she's ever had. Never I'm a long time had she seen you act like that with anyone other than her or your sister.

So, until you worked up the courage—or similarly, Peter—she decided to take more extra shifts at work every once in a while.

"Green Arrow is better than Batman." You stated firmly, answering right away after Peter had asked the question.

"No way. Batman is so much cooler!" Peter countered.

"Sorry, but I prefer a bow and arrow over batarangs." You said, crossing your arms as you smiled and stood your ground.

"Why though?" Peter groaned. "Batman has a bunch of cool tech!"

"Tech is cool, yeah, but I've always liked bow and arrows. Much more simplistic but just as deadly. Like Hawkeye. He's such an underrated member of The Avengers, but he's one of my favorites."

"You can't just compare fictional characters to real people, Y/N." Peter frowned, shifting in his spot on the couch.

"I can and I just did. Actually, I wasn't even comparing, I'm just pointing out similarities. Besides, I can do whatever I want." You chuckled. "Like, if I wanted to, I can say that Iron Man is way cooler than Batman."

"Okay, I won't argue there,"

"See?" The both of you began to laugh.

"Hm," Peter started and you stopped making noise to wait for him to continue. "What about the Spider-Man?" He asked after a minute, looking at you and watching carefully.

"Ugh, not him," you rolled your eyes and pretended to be disgusted. But you couldn't hold it long and instead grinned when you saw Peter's expression drop. "Chill. He's alright."

"What? He's great!"

"Well, when he's named after my greatest fear, he doesn't make it too high on my list."

"Right," Peter nodded his head.

"But in all seriousness, I think he's pretty great." You admitted.

"Really? How so?" Peter asked, a smile appearing as he scoffed closer to you.

"I mean, have you seen those clips on YouTube? He's super strong, and he can like cling to any surface." You shifted in your seat to face Peter even more. "And he just seems like a good guy, you know? From what I can tell, he always helps out whenever he can. Plus, I'm really interested in his web formula. He wears like webshooters, right? That stuff isn't coming out of him?"

"Uh, y-yeah. I think so." Peter said quickly.

"Not only would have have to come up with a device that could hold his body weight, even more a brief second, and not strain his wrist and hurt himself when he swings around, but he would have to develop a web formula who's textile strength was the human equivalent to a real spiders. In size and stickiness too. I'm assuming it goes through some kind of oxidation process to become a solid strand after being shot out, but it would also not have to use up too much so whatever storage unit it's in isn't used up too fast."

"Wow," Peter gasped but you just shrugged.

"What? I really like smart people. You know that," You nudged Peter with your knee, a smirk on your face, referring to him. "And I would assume he has to be pretty smart. If not, most things I admire about him would be a lie." You chuckled. "I'm fine with Spider-Man, he's pretty cool. As long as he doesn't sprout six extra limbs or eyes. Or pincers. Or anything that resembles an actual spider at all."

"I don't think he's gonna do that anytime soon." Peter seemed so sure of his answer, like he knew Spidey himself.

"Did you work up enough money for that new computer part or whatever?" You asked, changing the subject and grabbing a handful of the popcorn you made a while ago for the movie you forgot was on.

"Oh yeah. A little while ago, actually." Peter admitted, and you saw the instant regret fill his face.

"So why are you still taking babysitting jobs?" You asked with a light laugh and Peter smiled nervously.

"I actually really like hanging out with you, you know?" He said softly, and you stopped laughing and instead smiled at him. "I really like you."

"You're such a dork, Peter," you shook your head and saw out of the corner of your eye the confusion make its way onto his features. "You could just ask me out, you know,"

"Well, you're kinda my job too, and I think dating you kinda goes against the rules." Peter grinned after letting out a relived breath, thankful things didn't backfire.

"What rules?" You rolled your eyes. "You're not burning the house down or murdering us, so I don't think you're breaking anything."

"So, if I kiss you, hypothetically, nothing would happen?" You tilted your head as Peter was back to being nervous.

"If you kissed me," you started, "hypothetically," you added with a grin. "Nothing but me most likely reciprocating would happen."

"Oh, okay." Peter smiled, and you chuckled to yourself as you stared down at where your hands in your lap.

The silence in the room didn't last long before you heard a loud groan coming from the stairs behind you and Peter. Turning your heads, the both of you saw your sister was ascending the stairs but then stopped when she got your attention. "Just kiss already so you guys can go on an actual date and not subject me to the torture of watching you dance around each other all the time!"

Your jaw dropped as you stared at your younger sister, and surprisingly Peter was the first one to say something.

"Hey, is that your phone?" He asked, and Y/S/N's eyes widened before she dashed up the stairs.

"Hey, I won't say anything if you guys make out on the couch! Just let me have my phone and leave me alone!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random real life stuff: Guys I seriously need help. I have a huge crush on one of my friends and every time we play Among Us as a group I always make myself seem sus because I stay completely silent just to hear their voice and it's getting me ejected nearly every game. It's bad 😂😂


	40. It Takes Two - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got around to a request from March. But I made up for it with making this a 2 parter! (As the title states)
> 
> Warning(s): mentions of baby making (don't worry, everyone's of age), pregnancy and fertility tests, and some light angst/comfort

  
You always loved eating over at Peter's Aunt May's. It didn't matter that most of the time the meals either had to be saved by you and your cooking channel expertise or if the three of you wound up eating out or ordering in. She always made it seem like a perfect family meal.

So that's why you were currently ripping the blanket off of your husband with a large grin on your face, flopping down on the bed next to him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Come on Pete, we're gonna be late," you chastised before pressing a quick apologetic kiss to his lips.

It was nearly five on a nice breezy October Saturday afternoon, and while you were nowhere near tired yet, you knew Peter was. On his way home from work, he got sidetracked and wound up suiting up and taking on five guys in a hidden alley, saving a woman and her daughter in the process. While Spider-Man might have won the battle, the fight had definitely took it's toll on him. Like most big ones did.

Peter had come in through the bedroom window (the first three years the two of you were together, the action had scared you more than anything in the world, but now it's the new normal) and immediately collapsed onto you, playfully complaining about being sore. He had the odd couple of bruises across his chest and a nice shiner circling his left eye, but it was nothing that wouldn't fade in a couple of hours because of the superhuman healing factor he's had since he was fourteen.

So being nice, you decided to let him out of the posing he had promised to do for you and allowed him to lay down to heal up quicker. Just because May knew about his super-persona longer than you had, didn't mean the both of you wanted her to worry more than she had to.

It didn't take long for Peter to con you into snuggling with him for a couple of hours, but of course you had to be the one to return the both of you to real time and not the comfortable space where time wasn't real and tell him that he needed to get dressed and the both of you needed to get walking.

"Or we could just stay here," Peter countered, grabbing your hand with a smile and tugging you back to the bed.

You knew his tactics more than most and decided to get back up before you fell for them and his puppy dog eyes.

"I'm leaving in ten minutes," you tell him, walking over to the dresser and switching one of Peter's shirts for a nice cream colored sweater. " _With_ you, just so we're on the same page. It's up to you whether you want to be walking down Queens Boulevard in only your boxers or not." 

"I'm fairly certain you wouldn't allow anyone but you seeing me like that." Peter said without a small eye roll as he sat up and caught the pair of jeans you tossed at him.

"It's getting you to get dressed, isn't it? So it doesn't matter what I think."

"Oh. So would I get your opinion if I decided not to put a shirt on?"

You snorted as you felt Peter behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and placing his head on your shoulder as he looked at you through the mirror you were standing in front of.

"If you would somehow miraculously not die of embarrassment and purposely come outside with me shirtless, then I would say something. But I know you, and I'm sorry honey, but you won't." You turned your head and kissed him again, this time ruffling his hair.

"Could we stay here if I tell you I'm still sore?" He asked and you gave him a pointed look.

"And miss out on Aunt May's signature cooking? How dare you!" You pretended to gasp. "Nice try, but I can't even see this bruise anymore and it was the worst of them. So I'm just gonna go out on a whim and say you're feeling perfectly fine." You told him as you rubbed a thumb over his cheekbone before lightly patting his cheek and moving out of his embrace to sit down and slip into your boots.

"Sometimes I think I shouldn't have married someone as smart as you are." Peter grumbled and you chuckled, watching as he quickly pulled a random shirt over his head.

"Sorry, but I don't think you could have if you tried. The smart ones have always been your type."

"Ha ha." He said humorlessly, turning to sit next to you. "You're lucky I love you."

"I love you too." You smiled. "Now, are you going to find socks, or is barefoot the safest way to walk in New York?"

"You are more evil than any villian I've ever faced."

  
Somehow, the dinner that was just supposed to be the three of you quickly transformed into four more people joining the dining table. Or more realistically, the dining couch.

It started with a random text from Ned, telling Peter how him and Gwen were visiting from Boston. It was just to inform the two of you that everyone could meet up the next day, but May had made a comment about inviting them over to dinner and Peter had typed out the text just as fast.

Next, it was Ned making a comment about how everyone being there reminded him of the college days where everyone would be studying for finals huddled around the May's couch, and that the only people missing from the picture were MJ and Harry. So naturally, you this time, had made the call asking if they wanted to come over last minute. It took Harry a little convincing because he was in the middle of a video game level, but over the phone, you heard MJ take the controller and back out of the game. Harry's voice grumbled as he took the phone and told you they were on their way over as you laughed, but in the end, you had succeeded.

So now instead of May cooking — which was undecided whether it was a miracle or not — the group of you split the pizza and wings bill and lounged in the living room of the Queens apartment Peter grew up in. Laughing and catching up and having a good time.

It was just the normal family of two Spider-People, the newly reformed Green Goblin (Harry was seriously working on a better name), their guys in the chairs, their impulse control, and the woman who had become a second mother to them all.

You just wished it had lasted longer.

Soon, the sun had set and people had to be places. MJ worked in the morning, so her and Harry were leaving. Ned promised he would spend the night at his parents, so there went him and Gwen. It was still comfortable as you stayed pressed into Peter's side and May across from you as the three of you continued to chat, but you instantly found yourself missing your friends.

"Is anything going on with you guys?" May asked as you were taking a sip of your soda. You shook your head before turning to Peter, in case he had something to add.

"I don't think so." Peter laughed. "We pretty much covered everything earlier."

"So do you think the both of you would have time to raise a kid one of these days?" May asked with a sly smirk.

Your eyes widened from surprise, but what got you laughing was the way Peter absolutely froze.

"What?" The both of you squeaked out at the same time.

May just rolled her eyes as if she was stating the obvious. Well, she was. "I'm getting older, guys. I want some grandkids — well, great-kids. You know what I mean. — before I won't be able to take them out and spoil them with ice cream and candy at the park."

"I...I don't think we've ever talked about kids." You admitted softly, sitting up slightly and shifting.

"I mean," Peter began. "In theory we have."

"Right." You agreed, this topic more concerning than any other of the night. You were just talking to Peter at this point, barely acknowledging the fact that May was still in the room. "I know we said that we wanted at least one. And a dog."

"Can't forget the dog."

"But I never realized..."

"It's been so long. We've been together so long..."

"It's not like I'm pressuring you guys or anything," May spoke and your attention snapped back to her. Her easy smile was gone and replaced with a worried look. "I want you two to start expand your family whenever you feel comfortable. And only when you do."

"We know that May," Peter said gratefully, but you could see the question behind his eyes. You weren't doubting May could see it either. The question of when.

You never expected the question of having kids to completely take over your mind. You could tell it was doing the same to Peter too, the both of you not really talking as you walked back to your small apartment, thinking about the _what if_.

"Do you?" Peter finally asked after the both of you were getting ready for bed. "Want kids, I mean."

You took a second before answering, crossing your leg underneath you as you sat down on your side of the bed in your room, waiting until after you felt yourself sink down into the mattress.

"I do." You told him, a smile briefly crossing your face before you spoke again. "Do you?"

You didn't know why you were afraid of the possibility of Peter saying no. In the seconds it took Peter to reply, you were suddenly filled with the fear that this might be a factor the two of you would have to take more time to settle on in your relationship.

But then you remembered the last time you and Peter had talked about children. You had only been dating about five years at that point, and were both still in college, but something had brought the topic up. The both of you had stayed up all night, Peter nearly going into a panic attack as the thought of becoming a parent meant he would have someone else to make sure he would have to keep from danger.

It had put a minor rift in your relationship, as well as setting off an over protective period where Peter had doubled up on Spider-Manning and barely let you out of his sight when he wasn't on patrol or in classes, but together, the both of you had worked it out, agreeing that you wouldn't have any kids until the both of you had less stress in your life.

You'd assured Peter then that whenever — if — you'd have kids, that there wasn't any way they wouldn't be safe. Not only would their father be a superhero, but so would their aunt and uncle, and a fair amount of other people they were close too. Kate, Harley and Cassie to name a few, not naming all of the original Avengers who would be ecstatic to have a kid to look after. Especially Tony and Morgan.

"I really do," Peter murmered as he reached over to you and pulled you close to him, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. "More than almost anything right now."

"You know you could have said something beforehand, right?" You questioned softly, nuzzling into his shoulder as he pulled your legs over his lap as the both of you leaned into the headboard of the bed.

"I wasn't sure when you were ready," then he hesitated, "And I wasn't sure if I was either."

"Well then, I think we should make sure we are." You stated firmly, leaning back to look at Peter's face. "Because I want to do this. I want to start a family with you."

"Me too."

You barely caught a glimpse of Peter's large grin before his lips crashed onto yours. You laughed and pulled away from the kiss for a moment after enjoying the gesture.

"I thought we were going to think about it for a bit," you giggled as Peter's arm snaked around your back and placed you on the mattress so that he was hovering just above you.

"We are. But that doesn't mean we can't practice."

  
"You guys are really trying, aren't you?" You smiled at Gwen's question, glancing over at her face on the video call before going back to organizing the line of DVDs you had just pulled out of the box they were packed in.

"What gave you that impression? The fact that we moved to a two bedroom apartment, started doubling up on saving, or because I ranted to you about the inevitability of having to buy new clothes for the first time since high school a week ago?"

"Actually, it was Peter leaving you exhausted enough for me to tell when you guys do it the day after." Gwen grinned as she teased and you shot her a glare through the screen. "Seriously though, I'm so happy for you guys. Almost as happy as I was being a bridesmaid at your wedding."

"Almost?" You questioned, going back to organizing, grabbing every Star Wars movie to line them all up together under the TV stand.

"I will be just as happy as long as you let me teach her to play the drums."

"Have you even thought that through, Gwen? Teaching a kid to make as much noise as humanly possible?" You chuckled as you turned your full attention to her.

"It's the perfect thing actually," she countered. "Get all the noise out making music rather than screaming. You'll be thanking me, just watch."

"I'll hold you to that." You shook your head, shoving the empty cardboard box in the direction of the kitchen where the rest of the pile was.

"Hold who to what?" Peter emerged from the hallway, rounding the corner carrying three empty boxes. "Bedrooms almost done. Nearly have the bedframe up." He leaned down and quickly kissed the top of your head before chucking the boxes with the rest in the kitchen.

"The old one? Or was it too damaged?"

"Oh come on, not you too!" Peter glanced at the screen as he groaned. "Did Harry put you up to this? Because he won't cut me any slack either." Instead of helping unpack, you just shook your head as Peter took a seat on the floor next to you. "We aren't— you know what?"

Peter stood up even though he was barely sitting more than a couple of seconds, and you had to try your hardest to stop yourself from laughing. Even with the feeling of your face heating up and the blush that was most likely going to be visible any moment.

"I don't have to talk about our sex life with you." You directed towards Gwen, trying to bring the conversation to a close. You could hear Ned laughing in the background, and your eyes trailed Peter as he got up and grabbed a cup of iced tea from the fridge. "I don't know why I trust MJ with keeping a secret anymore." He wondered to himself loud enough that Gwen heard.

"She's a lawyer and master manipulator, what'd you expect? You know she's the main source for Harry's gossip." You just rolled your eyes, knowing that MJ probably just accidentally let whatever Peter told her slip. Your main concern — if you could even call it that — was finding out what he had even said in the first place.

"I think you guys just knocked yourselves down on the godparent ranking scale." Peter shouted from the kitchen.

"Doesn't matter, we already know who you guys are picking. What does matter though, is you knocking Y/N up!"

You couldn't help but to aim finger guns at the screen, the blonde mirroring your actions right back at you as Ned whooped in the background.

"I'm working on it!" Peter shouted back with a cheeky grin and you stuck your tongue out at him.

Yeah. This was definitely going to be the father of your child.

  
One line.

You thought the disappointment that filled you as yet another test came back negative couldn't get any worse, but as you stared at the one tiny line, it hit twice as hard as the last negative test did. Or would it be six times as hard? Since you've dealt with not testing positive five other times before now.

Groaning, you just tossed the stick into the trash and hugged your legs to your chest, your head on your knees.

You didn't understand what was wrong. Why you couldn't concieve. You and Peter were still in the prime of your lives, young and healthy — one more than most.

You and Peter were trying your hardest to stay hopeful, but the more you tried and the longer you waited, the more you started to worry.

You picked up your phone and thought of texting someone, but you stopped when you couldn't decide who to contact. You were home alone, everything you needed for work done, and just pretty much waiting for Peter to come home so he could have a hot meal instead of leftovers from the fridge.

You knew everyone in your contacts would offer different advice, and it was up to you what you wanted to hear. May would tell you it was okay, and that not everyone could have children of their own like her. Gwen would probably drive down despite her job and try and distract you with movies and food. Same with Harry. Ned would tell you to keep your chin up, and MJ would say something along the lines of going to get some professional help since you and Peter were serious on starting a family.

You couldn't think about what Peter would say. You would find out soon enough anyway.

Everyone has just been nothing but supportive up to this point, and the last thing you wanted was for them to think all their support would be for nothing.

You wound up never texting anyone, but instead picking up your work book and getting a head start on the next week's project. You didn't want to let your mind wander and let the negative thoughts in, so you figured it would be best to distract it. So that you did.

The sound of your bedroom window sliding open and the cold air entering the room turned your attention from the storyboard in front of you and to Peter, closing the window behind him in the Spider-Man suit.

"Sorry," he said quickly as he saw you shiver in your chair at your desk from the winter wind. It didn't take him long to take off his mask and grin at you.

You felt your mood lift just from seeing Peter smiling at you, but it immediately came crashing down when he knelt besides you, his arms crossed on your lap as he stared up at you.

"So?" He asked eagerly, and the thought of you already having a dog flashed through your head before you realized just what news he was so excited to hear.

You couldn't make your mouth form the word, so you reluctantly settled for a small shake of your head.

"Oh." The mood shift in the room was almost too much for you to handle, and you were certain Peter was thinking the exact way you were just starting to. "Really?" He asked even quieter. "I just thought...for sure this time."

"I know." You told him, your voice just as soft. "I did too."

Peter just layed his head down in your lap, sighing, before standing up and bringing you with him.

"Come on, let's go to bed. It's late." he said and you frowned.

"We haven't had dinner." You told him. If it wasn't your reasoning for staying up, you would have happily layed down next to him. Peter had always been your favorite pillow.

"Did you cook?"

"No."

"Then we can just grab something real quick. You must be exhausted."

"Like you aren't."

You stopped arguing after that. You knew Peter just wanted to make you feel better, putting you before himself like he always did. While a lot of times, his stubbornness aggravated you, he must have somehow sensed that you weren't letting everything you were feeling show at once. So instead, the both of you just ate some leftover noodles and sauce and then headed to bed.

"Why do you think it isn't working?"

You could tell the question took some strain to come out of Peter's mouth even without looking at him. The both of you were laying down in the dark, your back to Peter's chest. His arm around you tightened as if he was preparing himself for what you might say.

"I don't know, Pete."

"You're just as bad of a liar as I am." He sighed, his breath raising goosebumps on your skin, and that confirmed exactly what his thought process had been.

It was quiet for a little bit, and you reached to squeeze his hand.

"Do you think...do you think we should figure out what's wrong?"

"What?" You tried to resist the urge to turn around and face him, but you ultimately failed, twisting around under his arm and straining to see his face through the darkness of the room.

"I just mean," He stopped for a second, no doubt rewording his thoughts. "Maybe there's something stopping us. Stopping you from getting pregnant."

You were instantly brought back to what you were thinking about earlier. "You mean... do you think we should go to a fertility clinic, Pete?"

"Yeah." He stated. "Yeah, I think we should."

Once the third test came back negative, the thought of going to a clinic had been dwelling in the depths of your mind.

"It's just, we want this so much, and-and we've been trying for so long, and I want to know what I'm doing wrong!"

"Peter, I don't think you're doing anything wrong," you tried to assure him, but he just shook his head. You hated to see the fact that he already cemented it in that _he_ was the problem. "It could be me too. Or it could be neither of us! We wouldn't be able to know for sure unless we go."

"Then we go." You felt his warm palm come up to your cheek. "We make an appointment, and we go."

"Okay." You nodded, agreeing.

With a kiss to your forehead, you fell asleep with the means of finding a solution on your mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whenever I mention Harry Osborn, you can bet he's mentally played by Harrison Osterfield in my head because 1. I love Haz and 2. so we can continue to get the pure Holy Trinity content we deserve.
> 
> Make sure to read Part 2 next week!


	41. It Takes Two - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's part two! 
> 
> Warning(s): mentions of baby making (don't worry, everyone's of age), pregnancy and fertility tests, and some light angst/comfort
> 
> (Future R here, yes I changed my username. I'm not sure if it's showing up yet, but I wanted to put in a disclaimer. I just wasn't really vibing with my username anymore, so I decided to change it— granted I did come up with it running on a sigular hour of sleep and a split second decision of making an account — Hopefully, people still know it's me)

  
You hadn't felt this nervous since you worked up the nerve to ask Peter to the senior prom.

You wished Peter was there with you, since the both of you had made the decision, but it was you who gave him the permission to leave. Granted, you didn't think it would take him this long.

You weren't only nervous because you were sitting alone in the waiting room of a fertility clinic, but because you had been waiting almost an hour and a half and Peter still hadn't come back from chasing down one mugger with a knife.

It never takes him this long. Especially when it was only one person to deal with. You were on the brink of missing the appointment so you could call Gwen or Harry to help you search for him, thinking the worst.

Just as you were about to stand up and leave, a nurse walked through the door.

"Mr and Mrs. Parker?"

You took a deep breath. "Just Mrs.," you answered, grabbing your coat and following her through the door and down the hall to a room on the right.

The basics were taken, vitals as well as some base questions. You weren't waiting longer than ten minutes before the doctor came in; a woman with dark black hair and an empathetic smile.

"So Mrs. Parker, what brings you here today? It's not often we get any patients younger than thirty in the office."

"Call me Y/N." You tell her before answering, seeing her nod. "Well, me and my husband have been trying for a baby for a while now, and...it just seems no matter how much we try, I can't get pregnant."

"Well Y/N, I wouldn't worry just yet," The doctor - Strife, according to her name tag - said. "How long have you two been trying?"

"Just shy of three months." You admitted. "I know it's not very long considering what other people go through, but we're just so confused and worry. We just figured there shouldn't be anything wrong because of our ages."

"But you got scared." Doctor Strife finished.

"Yeah."

"Where's your husband now? My sheet says the appointment was for the both of you."

"Oh. Um, Peter's trying to make it, but he's stuck in traffic." You hated lying, but not only did 'stuck in traffic' sound more believable than 'he's fighting bad guys dressed in red and black spandex going by the name of Spider-Man', but it was also necessary to keep his secret under the wraps.

"If he makes it, the woman at the front desk should be able to direct him right to us." She smiled reassuringly, and you were happy she seemed warm and welcoming because it helped calm your nerves. "It would very much be easier to test the fertility of the both of you at the same time, but if you'd like, we could get started with you right now."

You deliberated with yourself for a minute. You still had no reply from Peter from when you tried to call and text him earlier. You came to the conclusion that a distraction might be best for this case again.

"Okay." You smiled.

"There's a lot of tests when it comes to fertility, but until your husband gets here, I think we'll only do two today. And since you're my last appointment for today, we can get the results back in just a half hour, if you're willing to stick around."

"Sounds good."

  
"Ohmygod!" You breathed out the words in one breath as the front door of your apartment opened and Peter came through.

You stood up and rushed to him when you realized that not only was he not in his suit, but he had a small limp.

"Peter, are you okay?"

He avoided your question. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there," he cringed, "How'd it go? Did you have to reschedule. I promise I'll make it to the next one - we'll carpool just to make sure."

"Pete, it's fine. Really." You told him quickly. "What the hell happened?! I'm more worried about you. You've been gone-"

"Yeah, I know," He said, regret etched onto his face. You urged him to sit down and he pushed his hair away from his face before he started the story. "I honestly really thought it was just a small petty mugging. But that guy had the advantage of running after I tried to swing after him but I was out of web fluid.

"I had to chase him on foot, and he led me to a big group of his buddies. I couldn't just leave them be, because it looked like they were the guys who stole from that bank in Maryland."

"You took them on without your webs."

"I took them on without my webs." Peter sighed again before giving you a small smile. "Remember to remind me I need to spar with Natasha a little more. I was a little rusty only hand to hand."

"I'll say," you frowned, glancing down at his leg and then the purple bruise you could see under the collar of his shirt like he got hit with a crowbar or something on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I am _fine_." He said firmly, turning to grab your hands. "What did the doctor say? Did I mess this up again?"

"You've never messed anything up in the first place," you reminded him, smiling reassuringly before your expression faltered. Your lips dipped down and your eyebrows creased as you realized it was time to tell him.

He was already beat up enough, but lying wasn't an option. Nothing good would come out of it, even if it was the easier way out. Even if it would give a lesser hit to Peter's ego.

"What's wrong?" You instantly realized that Peter saw every shift in your face and even more worry casted onto his. "I-is something wrong?"

"Not necessarily," you started slowly.

"Y/N..."

"The doctor just did some basic tests, since you weren't there to confer. Blood, urine," you felt yourself begin to fiddle with the hem of your shirt and bite the inside of your cheek. You knew Peter wouldn't blow up or get angry, but you just didn't want to see him any more hurt. "We do need to schedule one for you...just to be sure..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there's no real problems." You worded carefully. "I should be able to get pregnant, I just... _haven't._ "

The silence that came after you finished speaking is what scared you the most. Peter looked like he was churning over what you said, and you watched as he came to the realization and what it meant, his eyes widening before locking with yours.

"It's...it's _my_ fault?" He asked in a small voice. You shook your head as a small frown set on your face.

"No, Peter, it doesn't mean it's your fault." You told him quickly, tightening the grip he involuntarily let loose on your hands and to get his attention back on you as he started to drift into his mind space. "The doctor won't be able to know for sure, but she said that because we're both still in our twenties that the reason why I can't concieve is most likely just because of bad luck. That we're playing a game of chance, and right now, the odds are stacked against us. But it doesn't mean they won't change!"

"But what if-" Peter bit his lip before letting out a shaky breath. "But what if it isn't just chance? Come on Y/N, what's the likelyhood of it just being chance? We've been trying for three months!"

"Peter, we don't know that."

"Yes we do!" He argued, standing up. It wasn't threatening in the slightest, he wasn't yelling at you, but you were still afraid because he was yelling at himself. Blaming himself. His hands went up to tug at his hair as he turned away from you. "I can't - we can't have kids because-because of me! _I-I_ can't have kids!"

You didn't know what to say, watching as your husband started to beat himself up over something he isn't able to control. You _wanted_ to say something, but nothing came out as you tried to open your mouth.

"I don't - I don't understand!" Peter stammered as he began to pace. You sat quietly, knowing he needed to get everything going out bevause otherwise he would keep everything in, and wait for him to spot you again and sit back down to talk. "The spider bite fixed _everything_! I got taller and stronger and I-I didn't need my glasses anymore...So why can't you - why am I- ?"

"Peter." You said his name softly, but it was enough for him to lower his hands and stare at you through glossy eyes from across the room.

"I'm so sorry Y/N," he told you, his voice wavering as he tried to blink away the tears that were threatening to spill. "I know I haven't been able to give you everything you've wanted, but I really thought I could give you this. Give us this."

"Peter, I don't want anything. Not when I already have everything I _need_." You told him, standing up. He crossed the room so you wouldn't have to, standing a foot in front of you, but not coming any closer. "I have MJ and Harry and Ned and Gwen and May. I have this apartment with _you_. I'm _married_ to you. That's all I've ever wanted and all I'll ever need. I already have the family I've always wanted. What we were doing was just trying to expand it.

"But you know it isn't like we're all out of options either. Peter, we still have a _chance_. And if somehow we don't, we still have room for a dog. Or a beautiful child who's looking for parents, just waiting for us."

You gently grabbed his face for more emphasis, as if you needed it, pushing back his hair. The both of you were crying at that point. "There's nothing you should blame yourself or that stupid spider bite for. Things like this happen, and I promise you we'll get through it one way or another. Just know that you aren't disappointing me, or anyone else, and you sure as hell shouldn't be disappointing yourself. Okay?"

Your thumbs swiped away his tears the same moment he moved to get rid of yours, and the both of you let out short laughs.

"Okay." He agreed, nodding his head and leaning into your touch. "You're going to be the best mother out there."

You smiled. "And you're going to be the best father."

  
"Any news?" You turned your head to MJ and answered her question with a small smile and a shake of your head.

"Doctor Strife said it takes anywhere from two to three weeks for his results to come back. So no, she hasn't called back. We're waiting patiently, why can't you?" You laughed softly as MJ just shrugged before taking a sip of her tea.

"I just don't understand how you're so patient, I guess. It's like me and Harry are taking all of your stress. It's only slightly annoying. Especially since he's talking like _we're_ the parents." She explains.

"I'm sorry," you tell her genuinely. "Me and Peter just came to the terms that no matter what happens, we'll work through it together. So, it doesn't really matter if he isn't able to have any kids, because one way or another, we'll get one."

MJ smiled, a sight you always loved to see. "Well, if somehow you want a surrogate, I'm sure I can convince Gwen."

"I'm touched MJ, really." You grinned. "I'm sure we won't need one, but I'll keep it in mind."

Just ask you were about to speak again, the waiter came up and placed your dishes down in front of you. Both you and MJ said a quick thanks, and your eyes swept around the café.

"Talking about Gwen," you started, grabbing your fork and pushing around a piece of chicken in your salad. "Where is she anyway? Her food's gonna get cold."

"She should be here soon," MJ told you. "She probably swung here to avoid traffic, got caught up in a fight, and now has to find a place to change and not look like she got out of a fight."

You shrugged, the story sounding likely enough for you not to worry. Your stomach growled and tightened and you brought your fork up to your mouth. You hadn't had much time to eat earlier today, so this was the first meal you were having and you realized your brain was telling you to eat quickly.

What you weren't expecting however, was for you to gag when you took the first bite.

It didn't make sense, since this place had the best chicken caesar salad you've ever had in your life, so it wasn't the taste, and that you knew the staff followed strict sanitary and health rules, so it wasn't the food itself.

"You okay?" MJ asked with narrowed eyes and you swallowed what was in your mouth, shaking a little.

"Yeah," you said hesitantly, glancing cautiously at your food. "That was weird."

You hadn't made it three more bites before you felt your stomach churn again, and this time, the feeling of your meal coming back up make itself known.

"Oh God," you muttered before your hand clamped over your mouth and you hastily stood up.

"Y/N?"

You wanted to say sorry to MJ, but you were afraid you would hurl all over the the stone ground of the outside section of the café before you made it to the bathroom.

You rushed past the tables and pushed open the the door to the inside. You heard soft sorry's behind you and figured it was MJ following close behind you apologizing for your lack of niceties.

"Hey Y/N, MJ!" You heard Gwen, but you were still three steps from the bathroom and only two from not being able to hold it in anymore. "Y/N? Is she okay?"

You prayed that no one was inside as you made a beeline for the first open stall, throwing up the second you dropped close enough to make sure you would make it into the toilet bowl.

You felt someone pull your hair back, and it didn't take you long to realize that it was MJ or Gwen. When you felt someone in both sides of you, someone holding back your hair, and another hand rubbing your back, you figured it was both of them.

"I don't know - t-thanks guys." You shuddered as you sat up, accepting the tp MJ handed to you.

"It's no problem, you know we're here for you." Gwen smiled, trying to hide the way her nose crinkled with disgust. "Even though this _stinks_."

"Yeah," you laughed along. "I'm probably just getting sick. It's around that time, it's nearly winter anyway."

"True," MJ started. "Or...when was the last time you took a pregnancy test, Y/N?"

  
You had done this before, so why did five minutes seem like an eternity?

"What are you doing?" You asked Gwen, stopping where you were anxiously pacing your bedroom, after seeing her dialing a number.

"Um, calling Ned? I gotta tell him to get down here when you break the big news to Peter!"

"But there isn't _any_ news yet!" You said nervously, glancing at MJ, who was holding the test for confirmation, and getting a firm shake of her head. The wait time wasn't over yet.

"If we're the first three to know, Peter has the right to know before Ned." MJ backed you up and you gave her a grateful smile.

"I just wouldn't be able to believe it," you started softly.

"We can always have you take another test to be sure," Gwen placed down her phone.

"You should believe it. You guys have been trying forever." MJ said. "The both of you deserve this."

"Yeah, deserve a tiny little embryo who fought its way to manifest in my uterus and come out an entirely different life form."

MJ and Gwen blinked.

"Your kid might have some freaky spider DNA, but tone down on the alien vibes. Peter already has that fear."

You laughed nervously. You honestly really wanted this, but this was the closest you've come to getting a positive pregnancy test every since you and Peter started trying.

MJ was the one to call the morning sickness symptoms, and it made you realize that it was nearing a month and half since the last time you checked. You were too caught up in counting down the days for Peter's fertility appointment, and the waiting for Doctor Strife to call back with his results to even realize you hadn't had your period yet.

All the clues were there. It all came down to the test...

"Y/N," MJ's voice pulled you from where you were currently destroying your nails. Turning around, you saw a smile creeping onto her face, and a grin break out on Gwen's as she looked over her shoulder. "Congratulations."

  
You were trying your hardest to keep calm as the line was ringing and you were waiting for Peter to pick up.

"Hey," when you heard Peter's voice, you nearly let out a squeal, not yet registering it was a little breathless. "What's up? Did the doctor call?"

"No," you tried to keep your tone indifferent so you could see his reaction when he got back. "You're still out trying to get some landscape shoots for Jameson, right?"

"He didn't like the ones Peter Parker gave him, so I figured to take some as 'The Masked Menace'. It's not wrong to feel smug when he likes them, is it?" You could almost hear his smile from across the phone and you had to clamp a hand over your own so it didn't bleed through either. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Gwen grab the mop bucket and get ready to dive towards you, but you held out your hand to tell her you didn't need it.

"No Pete, I honestly think that's hilarious." You cleared your throat. "Actually, do you think you could come home right now? There's something I need to tell you."

"Are you okay?" His tone shifted into seriousness.

"I'm perfect. We're perfect. Can you just get here please?" It was getting harder and harder for you to not just blurt the best news of your life to him right that moment.

"Okay?" His laugh was a little skeptical, but you heard the quiet sound of his web shooters thwiping and you knew he was on his way. "Give me five minutes."

"See you soon." You hung up and turn toward your best friends. "Five minutes,"

"It's Peter. Let's say ten."

Peter came through the front door as himself, shaking off the first snow of the year from his mop of brown hair.

The first thing he did was eye Gwen and MJ sitting on the couch before looking curiously up at you with a confused smile on his face. "Hey guys," he said. "What's the occasion?"

"I don't know Y/N," MJ smirked and tilted her head to you. "What's the occasion?"

"Come on," Gwen stood up and MJ followed. "Let's give them a minute."

"What was that?" Peter, still visably confused, asked you as he shedded his jacket and walked over to you. "Why did they-"

His eyes landed solely on you, and you watched him examine your stance - your arms folded loosely over your stomach - as your smile broke from it's confines.

"Holy..." His eyes darted to where Gwen and MJ were chatting in the kitchen, trying to make it seem like they weren't paying attention when you knew they were. "Y/N, are you-"

"Yeah." You cut him off with an excited nod as he rushed to stand in front of you, lightly grabbing your shoulders.

"Oh my God! Are you really?" He asked breathlessly, glancing down like he suddenly had x-ray vision before he grinned large enough for his smile to reach his ears.

"I - yeah - I took another test just to be sure, but yeah." You grabbed the two sticks from where they were on a pad of tissues on the coffee table and held them for Peter to see. "Two lines means pregnant."

You barely had time to finish your sentence before he cut you off with a kiss, and even less time to enjoy that before you felt your feet leave the ground and the both of you were spinning around and laughing.

"Wait - Peter stop! I'm gonna barf." You laughed.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly, placing you back down, but his grin was unmoving. "MJ and Gwen...?"

"She nearly yakked all over her salad at lunch with us today."

"Kinda led to the discovery."

"This-this is amazing!" Peter stammered. "I didn't think - Y/N this is great!"

"I know." You were feeling your heart swell from the pure joy of Peter's face. "We're gonna be parents, Pete,"

"We're gonna be parents!"

As Peter held you tight in his arms, Gwen already on the phone and calling every person she knew to come your Brooklyn apartment for a surprise party, somehow convincing MJ to help her out, a smile that wasn't going to go anywhere on your face, you realized that everything was going to be okay. The odds turned. There was that small chance, and it happened.

And that this kid was going to have the best family, hands down.


	42. When It Comes To The Avengers, Multiple Turkeys Are Needed [HolidayVerse]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I normally don't update this late, but I had to wait until after I had finished cooking/eating/cleaning up dinner to finish this up. I burned the fingers I need to play violin, but the food was _great_ if I do say so myself. This is a special Thanksgiving chapter, so I really wanted to put it up today. Like I said, this chapter is Thanksgiving themed (how's your holiday going? Or gone, if you're reading this after. Or just how was your day if you don't celebrate?) and takes place in the same "universe" as the Halloween oneshot _It's Spooky Time_. I've had the idea since I posted that chapter to sort of tell the story of Reader and Peter's relationship progression via holiday themed chapters, and I actually decided to act on it. I have no idea how long it will last (Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, etc.,), but I'll keep everyone updated! Hope you all enjoy!!

You took a deep breath with your hands on your hips as you stood in front one of the Compound's many kitchens; the biggest one, to be precise.

You needed as much room as you could so you could become the busy tornado you were going to have to in just a matter of time.

"All right," you muttered to yourself as you opened the refrigerator, ready to make a list of the ingredients you still needed to buy. "Let's get down to business."

Pulling out a small notebook and a pen from your pocket, you hummed as you noted what needed to be restocked, and the food you still needed to buy for the rapidly approaching holiday.

Shutting the fridge with your foot, you preceded to let yourself get lost in Disney songs as you hopped up onto the counter and flipped the page to where you had jotted down everyone's names.

Pepper had put you in charge of Thanksgiving management and dinner. At first she tried to bargain with you, not wanting you to take on responsibility for the whole holiday, but you insisted. Before Morgan, no one really celebrated holidays around the Compound unless you kickstarted them, so you had the experience. Instead you assured her that she, Morgan, and Tony should spend Thanksgiving Day at her parents, and when they got back everything (including dinner) would be taken care of.

"Okay," you hopped off the counter and glanced up at the ceiling as if you could actually see anything other than the fading footprints from when Peter didn't want to dirty the floor but somehow forgot to think that the ceiling would also stain. "Hey Heimdall, in case I can't get to him, d'you think you could remind Thor to be here around noonish? That's because I know he'll be late. And tell Loki to warn me about showing up early while I'm still in prep unless he wants to be bested in his weapon of choice again." You paused, staring down st your list of names. "Oh, and if you wanna stop by you're welcome to of course. We'll have more than enough food, and you know, the more the merrier."

There were people you knew were going to be there, like Steve and Bucky, the Stark's once they came back from the Potts', but there were still people you needed to call and get final answers from, like Natasha, Wanda, and Pietro. Normally they spent the holiday at the Barton farm. This was the first official year you were actually hosting at the Compound, so you wanted to see if _they_ had finalized their plans yet.

"Who were you just talking to?" You turned your head at the sound of Peter's voice as you reached into your pocket for your phone.

"Just Heimdall." You twisted and crossed your legs underneath you on the countertop as Peter leaned against the counter in front of you.

"But he doesn't have a phone?" He asked confusedly and you let out a short snort.

"He's omniscient. All seeing, all hearing. Don't need a phone to communicate with him. All you gotta do is mention his name and he gets an alert someone's trying to get his attention like a text. He ignores the unimportant ones, but we're friends, so he knows to tune in to me when I mention his name."

To your surprise, Peter was just staring at you with a horrified look on his face. "Are you...are you saying he can see everyone and everything? Like, _everything_ everything?"

"Uh, yeah?" You replied after finally finding Clint's contact in your phone. You really needed to stop changing his name so you could remember which one it is, but then again, when he shoots out a Jenga block with a precision arrow from 100 yards away without knocking over the tower, of course you're going to change his name to _Jenga Master._

"Why?" You then began to tease. "You didn't think all of your dirty little secrets were hidden, did you?"

"No— I mean, I don't do anything, I'm just—" Peter gave up with a groan, and you chuckled as you opened messages and shot a quick text to Clint.

"Relax. There's too many people in the Nine Realms. He probably doesn't pay attention to you."

"I can't tell if that makes me feel better or worse."

"Dealers Choice," you tell him before your phone buzzed. "And that looks like the total is up to eighteen." You bit back a groan, currently grateful that there were already 4 22 pound turkeys defrosting, because with 2 super soldiers, 4 Asgardians (only 2 of which were sensible enough to eat a normal amount of food), a spider boy and a speedy boy with super metabolisms and a human with a bottomless pit for a stomach, you were going to need them all. 

"Eighteen? People coming to Thanksgiving?" Peter asked, his eyes wide.

"Unless you and May just want a little at home meal,"

" _No!_ " He answered quickly, a small sheepish laugh escape his lips before he rubbed the back of his head. "I just mean, we'd rather eat here will all of you."

"Stop lying, you're horrible at it." You smiled, shaking your head, knowing the real reason he and his aunt May accepted the invitation so quickly. "That's not counting if the Asgardians and Co. show up though. It would bring the total up to around twenty-five. But there are also three who might _not_ show up, so we're just gonna have to wait and see."

"You're going to be cooking so much!" Peter exclaimed as you hopped down from the counter. As you grabbed your jacket, you glanced at him over your shoulder. "I'm so sorry. You should have some kind of help."

"Thanks for volunteering!" You chirped, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the kitchen despite his stammering protests.

"I didn't say _me,_ I'm a terrible cook!"

"You set yourself up for that one, Pete. And don't worry, I only need a gopher. You don't have to do any actual _work._ I don't want you botching this meal."

"Okay, good," he sighed, still stumbling behind you. "So where are we going?"

You let go of his arm to slip on your Vans and you nodded toward the elevator. "Shopping. Groceries, if you need me to be specific. We've got a lot of prep to do."

"You're just assuming I can go with you? What if I'm busy?"

You paused as you stood up, looking deadpan at the boy in front of you. "Peter, you do your homework for fun in your spare time, you wouldn't be here unless May knew you had everything settled, and you instinctively straight to me the second you got here, so chances are you were already looking for something to do. Might as well be productive about it."

He gaped at you a moment before nodding his head and shrugged. "Fair enough." He followed you into the elevator as the doors opened.

"I wasn't taking no for an answer anyway. You have super-strength, and I'm going to take advantage of that to save us a couple of trips."

"Good to know you're just using me, and it's not that I'm your best friend and that's why you wanted me to come with." You caught him smiling and couldn't help but to smirk back, bumping his arm with your own.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the grocery trip that was the hardest part. You and Peter were amazingly on task, splitting up with different carts and tags teaming items to be in and out of the store faster.

You only raced down the aisles on the carts once.

Okay, twice.

It wasn't until the both of you were resting your arms, surrounded by groceries bags back at the Compound in the kitchen two hours later, that you knew you needed to get your mind back on track.

"You spending the night?" You asked Peter, lifting up your head to look at him.

"Want me too?"

"Well, I'm gonna start cooking at like ten tomorrow, so I'd need you here by then." You let out a breath, peeling yourself up to begin putting the items you didn't need at the moment away.

"I'll just stay here." Then he looked around. "Is Mr. Stark..."

"Nah, we should be safe." You rolled your eyes, placing three gallons of milk in the refrigerator.

You knew what Peter was talking about. Ever since Halloween, he'd been a lot more careful about where he woke up in the morning, since November first started off with Tony bursting into you room, blaring AC/DC to find you and Peter snuggled up under the blankets and clinging to each other like koalas.

You knew Peter really liked cuddling on a normal day, and after _Coraline_ and _Monster House_ , he (and you) really needed it. But he did learn the hard way that there was a limit to the teasing he was able to take about the non-existant relationship between the two if you before he turned into a human traffic light. Avoiding it again had since then become his top priority.

That didn't mean he didn't find ways of hugging you whenever he could though. Just as long as it was out of the sights of Tony, Clint, or Bucky.

"Where do you think you're going?" You asked as you saw Peter retreating.

"Uh, the living room?"

"No you're not, you're helping me." You tell him with a snort. "D'you know how much prep needs to be done tonight?"

"Are you serious?" Peter asked and your face softened.

"It's up to you Pete, you can go mess around in the lab if you want." You tell him sincerely. You didn't want to force him into anything if he didn't want to do it.

You saw Peter's eyes sweep the unprepared groceries dotting the counter and then to you as you turned around to grab Ziploc bags and a knife.

"No, I'll help." You heard him say confidently, planting himself by your side. "Just...I'll be your cheerleader. I don't trust myself with a knife."

"Neither do I." You laughed. "Welcome to my kitchen. You need to be on high alert at all times. You ready to cook?"

"Yes Chef."

Peter wasn't as bad as either he or you proclaimed him to be. For the most part, he was good at following your directions and memorizing the order of what needed to be prepped and put away to be cooked tomorrow. You were grateful for that brain of his, because without it, you definitely would have looked at your timetable 3 times more.

The both of you working together had cut down work time substantially. Even you, who enjoyed cooking, relished in the fact that after a while Peter decided to test his fate and picked up another knife, after self naming himself the Supreme Lord of Peeling and Grating, and tried his best to cut potatoes into cubes while you were dicing celery

The hard work out of the way, the last thing for the day was to make the pumpkin pie — or in this case, the 3 pumpkin pies — for (one of) the desserts tomorrow.

When they were pulled out of the oven, you and Peter high five for a job well done. Of course, you reminded him that the real work began tomorrow.

  
At ten on Thursday morning, you dragged a still half asleep Peter Parker back into the Compound kitchen. You decided to cut him some slack and not force him to get up earlier than nine. But you also were working on a schedule, so Peter's dreams would have to wait until that night.

If Peter thought yesterday was fast paced and timed, he was in for a kick today. Especially in relation to the turkeys.

"What the...." You noticed Peter was at a loss for words as you lugged out the container of submerged brining turkeys from the walk in freezer you lowered the temperature to.

"What?" You asked like you didn't understand his shock.

"Are they...going to fit?" He gestured to the two ovens.

"I'm not worried about them fitting, I know they will. I'm just taking them out to get to room temp. Go back to stirring!"

There was less time to become distracted, since there were more dishes to be prepared and guests were starting to arrive. Most of them hung around the kitchen, picking out of pots and making jokes that lifted your tense mood. Laura and Jane even stayed to help for a little bit. Loki — who had, like you predicted, showed up early — was the only one who stayed in the kitchen, either chatting with you or standing silently and observing Peter like there was something to look for.

Soon enough, you could hear the door open for the last time, and the roar of greeting flare up as Tony, Pepper, and Morgan arrived.

You chuckled to yourself, glancing up at Peter as you leaned against the counter and wiped sweat from your forehead.

"Almost done," you told Peter, bringing the end of your cooking frenzy to attention. The turkeys were out of the ovens and resting, and what side dishes weren't on the stove on simmer were wrapped in foil to maintain heat.

"What's left?"

"Apple pie prep." You tell him, and Peter nods his head, spinning around and grabbing the four bags of apples on the counter. "Back to peeling," you sent him a wink and Peter burst into laughter as you stood back up and wiped your knife clean.

With the peeling step in the past, you and Peter stood parallel on each side of the counter as the both of you chopped apples into slices.

Now that it was the end, you allowed yourself to slow down and rest. From now on, it was pretty much a waiting game anyway.

You looked up at Peter, just to hold back a laugh.

The boy was trying his hardest to cut the apples correctly, concentrating harder than you've seen him concentrate for any test; his eyebrows furrowed down and his tongue poking out from behind his lips as he cut carefully—both trying to be exact and to steer clear of his fingers.

He was also covered in food, because superhero or not, Peter Parker was still the clumsiest person you knew.

What stood out to you the most however, were the flecks of heavy cream splattered across his face and hair, from when he gave up trying to hand mix the whipped cream and decided to put it all in the blender instead but forgot to put on the lid to close it up.

He wiped most of it away, but you could still see the spots he missed.

"Peter, stay still a sec," you finally said, unable to fight the urge to wipe him clean.

"Hm?" He only had the chance to look up before you were leaning over the counter, careful of your knife and the apples, and using your fingers to wipe away the cream. Peter protested a little, saying he could clean up after, but let you do it anyway, leaning closer so you would have to reach across the entire counter.

You smiled as you wiped away the last bit above his brow. "There." You said, satisfaction seeping through your voice.

Just to see since you were there, although you knew it wouldn't work because of the small scar he had, you tried your hand at running your thumb over his eyebrow to try and smooth the crazy hair.

Peter laughed. "We're gonna be here all day if you start this again."

You stuck your tongue out childishly as he grabbed the hand pressed against his face. What neither of you took into account, was that you were putting a fair amount of your balance into leaning towards him with that arm, so when he moved it, you went crashing forward.

You caught yourself before the two of you collided heads—or more like Peter caught you. Laughing, you looked up, just to see that you were closer than before.

You felt the coolness of the cut apples through the fabric of your apron, but for some reason you didn't move — couldn't move — when Peter's eyes found yours.

It was quiet in the kitchen. You felt like you were holding your breath. The two of you were close; only inches apart.

"I uh— you have some— must've flicked off..."

Softly, Peter brushed something off your cheek. But he let his hand linger, warm against your already flushed skin from cooking all day.

You didn't understand why your heart was beating so fast. This was only Peter.

He glanced down quickly and let out a small gasp. Could he hear your heart? Wait. Why was he blushing?

You still didn't move. Peter's hand still resting on your cheek.

You searched Peter's eyes, trying to communicate, since words didn't seem to want to come out. Right when you tried your best to ask him what he was doing, Peter leaned closer.

Was he going to kiss you?

Your heart started beating faster, a low sound in your ears.

Were you going to let him?

Your eyelids flickered shut, lost in the moment and unable to think. Peter got closer. And closer. Until you could nearly feel his lips across from you, him drawing a shaky breath.

With a jerk, Peter jumped back. The action was so fast, that you nearly fell again.

Steadying yourself on your side of the counter, your hands gripping the edges tightly, you tried to wrap your head around what happened, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in your chest.

You weren't really looking forward to kissing him...were you?

"Peter, I'm—" you didn't know what else to do. Apologizing seemed like the only option at the moment.

But he wasn't looking at you. Instead, his cheeks a bright pink, he was staring at the doorway of the kitchen.

Looking over, you saw Loki standing by the door, smirking as he stared at Peter— and when you had spotted him, at you.

How much did he see...exactly?

"Dinner's done, I presume?" He gestured to the dishes ready to be moved.

"It's—" Peter cleared his throat. "Yeah."

"We were just making pie." You said quickly, looking down at the counter to avoid Loki's knowing gaze.

"Mh hm," the man nodded. "I'll go back with the others, then."

This time, the kitchen was a different kind if silent. One that got more and more uncomfortable the longer it lasted.

You were about to kiss your best friend out of seemingly nowhere. That was bound to be...awkward to say the least. Definitely thought provoking.

The oven timer dinged for the pie crusts inside, and you quickly took them out.

You and Peter went back to cutting the last of the apples, but the two of you weren't laughing and having any fun anymore, the both of you hesitant to even look at the other.

This was not how you thought Thanksgiving was going to turn out.

The cheers when you started bringing out dishes helped pick your mood back up, but you were never unaware of Peter's presence. Whether he was standing right next to you, or an entire room over, you knew he was there like a silent alarm was bringing him to your attention.

Loki was one of the only people to notice you and Peter weren't the same. Loki, and Wanda of course, who could feel your mood and read your mind if she really wanted too.

Yeah, your other two best friends were definitely going to have a chat with you once they got the chance.

The rest of the floor was too crowded and bustling with activity to notice that you and Peter were obviously not acting like you normally did together.  
Only Tony Stark would have a table large enough to seat twenty-something people in a room large enough for it to even look normal.

You sat down at one of the two empty seats reserved for you and Peter, excited to actually be able to rest and be able to enjoy what you and Peter had been working your butts off making.

"Before we all eat," Pepper announced over the commotion of people serving themselves, Jane having to stop Thor mid-bite, "I'd like to thank Y/N and Peter, who put this all together by themselves."

Thanks echoed and bounced around the table, making you blush under the attention.

You caught Peter's eyes from across the table, and the both of you managed small smiles. Again, you felt your heart do a double take, still not quite understanding why.

Thanksgiving was supposed to be memorable because it was one of the big times where you could be surrounded completely by friends and family, but this year it was different. Because you knew deep in your gut, that this was going to be the Thanksgiving that changed everything.

**~Bonus Scene!~**

"So," Your and Wanda's attentions snapped to Loki, who was sitting in the chair in the corner of your room. Everyone had dispersed throughout the Compound after dessert. You could still taste the sweetness of apple pie on your lips. "Care to explain what I saw in the kitchen earlier?"

Wanda raised an eyebrow and turned her head to look back at you, blinking innocently as if she didn't already know. The three of you were peas in a pod; no secrets. Well, none that ever lasted, anyway.

You sighed. "Look, I don't know." You answered truthfully. "We just...I don't know."

"It seems to me there's something you're not telling yourself. Not just us." Wanda said slowly, acting like she was enamored with the red wisps of energy she was creating in her hand.

"Shut up." You shot back, a little quickly and a lot harsher than you meant it to be. "Sorry."

"It's—"

You had to shut your eyes as something zoomed past you fast enough to blow wind. You bounced a little as a new weight dropped onto your bed, and your face fell flat as you looked over to see Pietro sitting with his legs crossed on the mattress in front of you. Similarly, Loki was also staring at him with a look of slight annoyance.

"Glad to see you could make it." You said flatly, not meaning it at all. If you were still sticking with analogies, Pietro was the fourth pea. The pod was a little cramped, but you wouldn't not want him there any day.

"There was no way I was missing this," he grinned, glancing at his sister to make sure he hadn't in fact missed nothing. "Go on. Keep going."

"It's simple, Y/N," Loki sighed. "You have—what do you Midgardians say?— a crush."

"On who?" Pietro glanced around for answers no one gave. Wanda and Loki out of respect for you, and you because it was too fresh for you to outright admit. "Is it Peter?"

Wanda just smiled, manipulating her magic to grow and take the shape of a rough heart, while you just hugged a pillow.

Pietro grinned, and you knew he got an idea that was either the start of the thing you would thank him for the rest of your life, or the one you would come to regret with all of your being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the semi-cliffhanger 🙃
> 
> Who else is excited for Chaos Walking?! I remember reading the books a couple years ago and immediately wanting to see a movie, and now after a while this movie is finally gonna see the light of day? I really hope this book adaptation doesn't flop, and that they spent the time they needed to fix the script or whatever (I can't exactly remember what was wrong with it). I have my fingers crossed though because I honestly loved the series (and now I'm gonna have to reread the books because... just because) and know so much of the cast (Guys, Harrison's credited as a Farnbranch Man, be on the lookout 😂)
> 
> Oh! And ebionio, look forward to your request next week!


	43. Food For Thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh ebionio, I love writing your prompts!

  
  


  
You were never really a true believer of the idea that time slowed right as something bad was going to happen, like death, until this moment.

Your hands slipped before you even realize they did. Then suddenly, you felt like you were in an action movie right before the big boss fight against the hero was about to happen. The frame slowed to show them both in their dynamic poses, slowing down the seconds before the impact.

The music grew louder, swelling dramatically before it cut out to silence to emphasize it's importance to the story. Two fighters enter the ring; only one would leave.

You knew it was a risk the second you picked it up, but it was a risk you were willing to take. You just never thought you would be on the losing battle.

Especially with something you loved so much.

Your body tensed as you watched your book fall from where your hands were holding it above your face. You couldn't do anything except watch in horror as it turned in midair, becoming vertical just in time for the spine to collide with your nose in what you believed to be a deafening crunch. The book then fell forward, spread out on your face cover up.

You let out a groan of pain as your hands flew to your face, your hands on top of the hardcover book you loved so dearly but absolutely despised in the moment.

"Why?" You sobbed. "I love you! The least you could've done was shown me some sympathy after all the heartbreak you put me through!"

The pain from your nose made your eyes water, and you knew that you probably should pick up the book before you got tears on the pages (as if that would be something new) but at that particular moment, you just stayed in the position you were laying in on the couch, waiting for the pain to subside so you could pick back up where you left off. The last chapter ended on a cliffhanger you couldn't possibly stop reading until you got to the resolution.

"I came to see how you were doing. I'm guessing... not good?"

You jumped as you heard Peter's voice appear out of nowhere. You could recognize that boy's voice from him screaming a mile away.

Grabbing your book, you pulled it down slightly to peek over the cover to see Peter Parker grinning down at you from where he was standing over the back of the couch.

"...Hey Peter," you said shyly. "When'd you get here?"

"Not supposed to for another minute or so, but I hopped the fence to come get you. If you listen, May and Ben should ring the doorbell. _Any_ second now."

His grin widened when the doorbell chimed through the house, his glasses seemingly reflecting the brightness in his eyes.

"So," He leaned forward and crossed his arms so he could rest them on his arms. "What happened? Did someone else die?"

"Yeah. My nose." You groaned, squeezing your eyes shut. "I think it's broke."

"I doubt it." Peter said and you peered at him through one eye. "But I can kiss it and make it feel better if you want."

Your eyes widened again before you slid your book back up to cover them, suddenly grateful for it being there. If not, Peter _definitely_ would see the serious blush that wasted no time making itself known on your face.

"N-no I'm fine." You said quickly, your voice muffled from the pages.

"Seriously though," you felt his body drop on the couch next to your legs and you sat up — still holding the book up for good measure — and looked at him. "If it's broke, I can check. I broke mine before, so I think I know what I'll be looking for."

"My nose is fine." You told him with a sigh, finally removing your book because your face had returned to it's normal temperature and scrunching your nose to make sure it didn't hurt too bad. "I'm not too sure how much more my heart can take though."

"So how about I take this then..." Before you could blink, Peter had scooped up your book and slotted your bookmark between the pages and shut it, placing it on the side of him farthest away from you. "...and you go get changed! I've been dying to get in the pool all day."

"But my book!" You argued weakly, extending an limp arm in its direction but Peter just grabbed your hand and yanked you up. Which was a feat he got you in one tug considering that he probably had as much muscle on him as a baby otter.

"Your book has hurt you. I see that as an opportunity to spend time with you." He slipped an arm around your waist and you had to repeatedly chant _don't blush, don't blush,_ in hopes your brain would actually listen.

"You just want the pool." You stared blankly at the boy as he paused and looked at you.

" _No_ ," Peter turned your head in the direction of the sliding doors you inferred he came through and you saw the two brightly colored boxes on the ground. "I finally got some Super Soakers."

"Alright Parker," you smiled, pulling away from him so you could head up the stairs to your room so you could get your bathing suit. "You're on."

Your greetings to Peter's aunt and uncle had been in passing as you ran outside in the sun, dodging a blast of water from the boy quickly rounding the corner.

"We haven't even sat down yet!" You heard your mom shout, but it was drowned out by the laugh Peter let out at your screech of a reaction of the freezing cold water hitting your back.

Luckily, it was summer. So when the two of you eventually stopped your water war to eat, the sun beating down was enough to keep you from shivering from how drenched from water you were. Peter was just as bad as you, so it also helped that the both of you were banished to sit on a towel a foot away from the table so you didn't drip all over the food.

You were all ears as everyone began to catch up. It had only been a little over a week since the Parker's last came over, but each time you became more and more happy that your mom and May had been best friends through college and medical school. If they weren't, you never would have met Peter. Or gained a new aunt and uncle for that matter.

By the time everyone had finished eating, your cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling so much. You and Peter were completely dry and welcomed back to the table, which was good, because the sun was going down anyway, but when it came to Peter you never knew if he would convince you to get back into the pool or if he was just going to dump a bucket of water on you himself. It's happened before — your payback had been just as extreme

"I made some pudding pie if anyone wants any," your mom announced, standing up to head back inside as Ben and May took turns feeding the fire in the pit and lightfully bickering in the background _("I_ _put_ _fires_ out, _who says I know how to make them grow?")_

The hums of approval were unanimous in the night as everyone sat by the fire, May having succeeded in making the flames grow so they flickered and danced happily as the sun set, making them seem even brighter and the heat they gave off even hotter.

It wasn't until you found yourself staring at Peter's illuminated profile for the better part of two minutes that you realized that you forgot about a very important something.

"Oh!"

Well, it was important to you. You had woken up early to scour the internet for the best recipe and then proceeded to follow directions very meticulously for the best results.

Eyes turned to you as you hopped up from your spot and started toward the back door.

"Where're you going?" You heard Peter ask.

"I'll uh, I'll be right back." You said as you stepped inside and dashed toward the kitchen.

You nearly collided with your mother who was just coming out with the pie in one hand and the whipped cream in the other.

"I thought you chickened out," she teased and you stuck your tongue out childishly for a second.

"No, I just forgot." You said as you shimmered past her and opened the refrigerator to grab the cheesecake you had prepared earlier. "Plus, why would I chicken out?"

"Oh I dunno," she sighed dramatically. "Just the fact that you insisted I couldn't help you make it because you wanted to do it for _Peter—_ "

"Not so loud!" You hissed embarrassingly, kicking the fridge shut and joining your mother who had waited for you as the both of you walked back outside. "I didn't make it just for him."

That was true. Technically. Everyone was most likely going to eat it.

You tried hard not to think of the reason as you and your mom emerged from the house and joined the group again.

"Oh yeah? So then tell me why you—"

"No one said anything about cheesecake!" You froze as you saw Peter scramble up from his seat and head straight to you. "Can I get first piece? And second? Or can I just eat the whole thing?" He asked excitedly.

"Y/N _forgot_ she made it." Your mom rolled her eyes as she played along for you, reassuming her seat after grabbing plates to dish out servings.

"Um, here," you said softly, holding the pan awkwardly out in front of you toward Peter.

"I can seriously have it?"

You shrugged and tried to ignore the intense burning on your cheeks. If you didn't know the truth, you'd think you were standing right next to the fire.

"Y/N, you're the best!"

You almost squeaked when Peter suddenly hugged you. You might have made the cheesecake for him because of a random offhand comment he had made a week ago on a phone call about it being his favorite dessert, but you definitely weren't prepared for the feeling of your heart swelling in your chest as he hugged you before taking the pan and bouncing back to his seat.

You sat back down with a smile, reaching back for your book so you could read by the light from the fire and try to find some solace in the words and hopefully not give yourself away, but it wasn't before you caught May's eye from across the way. She sent you a knowing look before glancing at her nephew, and you wondered if she had you made. You wouldn't be surprised.

It was always the saddest part of the night when the Parker's had to go back home. For some reason, you always felt like the two weeks between cookouts dragged on for years.

But you understood that everyone was always busy. May and your mom worked shifts at Queens Hospital Center most days of the week, Ben only worked 3 days a week but they were always 24 hour shifts and you didn't want to take away from the time he spent with his family, and on top of you and Peter going to separate schools, the boy also had a buttload of extracurriculars like marching band and robotics club that took up a lot of his free time.

So you cherished the times when they came over, or similarly the times you and your mom spent at their apartment in Queens.

"I'll meet you boys at the car," you heard May say behind you as you began to clean up the table outside. "I'm just going to help real quick."

"Take your time," Ben called back, ruffling Peter's hair as the both of them laughed through the house on their way to the front door.

"Thanks May," you said as she came into your view picking up the remaining loaf of bread and other food as you grabbed the dirty pudding and cheesecake pans.

"It's no problem," she smiled and the both of you made your way inside as your mom stayed behind to douse the fire. "You know," She opened the refrigerator and began to put the leftover food away. "Peter has a soft spot for a grilled chicken sandwich," she said so casually you almost missed it.

"He- he does?" You tried to keep your tone the same. You failed. May didn't care.

"With some mozzarella cheese and tomatoes on top — he could eat twenty and still want more." You looked up at her and May smiled back.

"I'll keep that in mind." You said as you placed the pans into the sink.

She walked over to the sink and pulled you into a hug. "The fastest way to that boy's heart is truly through his stomach. But I wouldn't worry too much Y/N, I'm pretty sure you're already there."

"Really?" You couldn't help but to ask, looking up at the woman as she kissed the top of your head.

"Just wait." She assured you. "We'll see you soon,"

"Bye May." You grinned as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter. "Remind Peter to call me later."

"He wouldn't forget it." She said as she turned the corner out of the kitchen.

You sighed before turning on the hot water and beginning to do the dishes.

"I think we're all cleaned up," you heard your mother say as she entered the kitchen, clapping her hands together. "Need some help?"

"Nah, I got it." You said with a smile still on your face and butterflies in your stomach. "I'm cooking next time though, just so you know."

"I'm assuming it's not just because you want to take advantage of the Golden Rule, is it?"

"I don't have anything prize worthy to give you," you admitted shyly.

"I'll let it slide this time." She waved it off. "This thing you're doing with Peter is too cute."

 _"Mom!_ "

"What? It is!"

▪︎ ■ □ ■ □ ■ ▪︎

It didn't take long for you to start to compile a 'Peter's Favorite Foods' notebook. 

May was the best inside woman you could have, secretly feeding you recipes and meals (even if she hadn't tried making them herself) she knew her nephew enjoyed. 

It didn't matter if you completely butchered a meal, or made it completely flawlessly, Peter always looked at you with the same excited grin that never changed over the years. The one that reached his eyes and made his tongue poke out the slightest bit and never failed 

Even as he stopped wearing his glasses and got bigger and taller, the Peter you knew and continued to crush on was still there (not that you were exactly _complaining_ about his changes). _Especially_ when he smiles at you like that. 

You had become very fluent in the kitchen. Cooking as your way of showing Peter you cared for him made you realize that it was actually a hobby you wouldn't mind learning more about. 

Soon, you were creating meals, dishes, and desserts all on your own for your own satisfaction. Peter however, was more than glad to be your own personal taste tester. He even attempts to help out, but always winds up making a giant mess. It made you wonder if there has to be at least one Parker a generation who just couldn't find their way around a kitchen. 

Cooking had even become one of your biggest past-times, that you were thinking about going into the culinary career. And to think: you would technically have Peter to thank for that. 

"Careful, you might drop that," 

You gasped as you heard Peter's voice and you sat up, tearing your eyes from your books pages to find him. 

Peter was awkwardly shifting where he was trying to lean against the wall next to the glass doors holding a box in his hands, and you failed to keep yourself from snickering as he attempted to look cool. 

"Don't you know better than to interupt me when I'm reading?"

"But it's _m_ e." He said as if that completely vetoed your question. 

It did. 

"What's in the box?" You asked as he walked over as sat next to you. You closed your book and placed it in between your folded legs. 

"Oh this?" Peter glanced down at the white box in his hands tied up with red and blue string. A card rested on the top. "Your birthday present," he said, and you canceled your initial reaction to reach for it when you noticed Peter's cheeks tinted a soft pink. 

"You didn't have too—"

"Well, one of them." 

"What?" 

Peter laughed a little. "The big one's for later." He said as he put the white box behind him. "This one's for now, since you aren't having a party this year." He grabbed the card and handed it to you with a big smile.

Taking the card out of its envelope, you snorted at the picture of Remy from Ratatouille posing next to a cake on the front cover and opened it up. 

The words 'Happy Birthday to my favorite chef, love Peter' were written on Peter's handwriting on the inside, and you nearly dropped the other piece of paper that was inside. 

You put down the card and picked up the white sheet and flipped it so you could read the words on it. Another handwritten note. 

" 'Cash in this ticket for one book shopping trip with the one and only Peter Parker' " you read out loud. " _The one and onl_ y? Don't you think that's a tad egotistical, Peter?" You laughed. 

"It didn't when I wrote it." He laughed. "But for real, that's a free book shopping trip. I'll pay for whatever you want." 

"Wow, Peter," You breathed in disbelief. "This is — this is great. Thank you." You tell him genuinely, smiling as he scooted closer and wrapped you under his arm. "When do I get my other present." 

"Later," he said. 

"Why not now?"

"Dramatic effect?" He tried and you glanced up at him. 

" _Oka_ y." You rolled your eyes, letting yourself melt into his touch. "How long are you staying?"

"As long as you want me too."

"You don't have your " _internship_ " today?"

"I needed a break."

"Well then, good." You reached over and grabbed the TV remote. "You can watch old Panic! At The Disco concert clips with me." 

"Are you going to cry over Ryan again?" 

"... _n_ o," you scoffed, hearing your own lie. 

"You can do whatever you wanna do. It's your birthday. I'm just here so you're not alone until your mom gets back from work." 

"That, and I wanted you here." You pointed out, snuggling closer.

"And that." 

It wasn't hard to fall into a comfortableness with Peter. It was a familiarity that always came with him. While you had known him for years, and you probably knew everything about him, you still felt like every glance in his direction was the first time you were seeing him. Every touch still brought goosebumps. 

The time flew by, and needless to say, you and Peter hadn't moved from your position on the couch, transitioning from watching concerts to actually putting on a TV show. It honestly didn't even feel like any time had passed at all, the only indicators being the fact that you were twelve episodes farther than when you started and that the house was considerably darker because the sun had set. 

"Are you sleeping Y/N?" Peter asked you in the middle of a Community episode. 

"No," you answered. 

"Oh okay. You've just been kinda silent and I wanted to give you your present." 

You sat up. "I'm not tired yet Pete," you smiled. "What is it?"

"Before you open this," Peter started, "I want you to know that I really tried." 

"Okay?" You noted as he passed you the white box. 

Pulling off the strings, you opened the lid to see the box filled with a bunch of your favorite cookies. "Did you make these yourself?" You found it in yourself to ask after staring down at the contents, a feeling of gratitude washing over you. 

"Well, you always cook for me, so I thought i should return the favor. Just so you know the journey, I completely botched the first batch, so I recruited May for help with the second. They burned. So—" He picked up a cookie and grinned. "Third time's the charm; I tried one earlier and I think they came out perfect." 

"Only one way to find out." You grinned, picking up a cookie and tapping it against Peter's. "Cheers."

You took a bite as Peter watched, waiting nervously for the results. "These are really good, Peter," you tell him truthfully through a mouthful of cookie. 

"Really?" He asked. 

"Really." You nodded your head, taking another bite. "I don't think there'll be any left tonight." You laughed. 

"That's the plan," you heard him say softly, taking another cookie as he turned back to the screen. 

"Why? You don't want me sharing with anyone?" 

Peter shook his head and laughed nervously, but he didn't actually answer. You waited, but he seemed intent on keeping it at that.

From then on, snacking on cookies during episodes, you realized that Peter was watching you a lot more intently than normal. Or actually, he was watching the cookie box. 

It didn't take long for you to realize that he was acting like he normally did when he was keeping a secret. Constantly moving and on the verge of bursting. 

You decided to wait him out. Peter never lasted long when it came to secrets. But as you felt your eyes drooping as you rested your head on his shoulder, you opted to pry a little. 

Unknowingly grabbing the last cookie in the box, you nibbled on it. "You didn't poison these, did you? Because then you're dead too. Unless you planned on killing me all along and you're pulling a Westley." 

"What?" You felt Peter turned his head to look at you, but you were too close to sleeping to look back. "No! I promise." 

"I'm just trying to figure out what you're hiding," you mumbled. "You've been nervous since you gave me the cookies." 

Peter stayed quiet and you frowned a little, thinking that he surely would have given in by now. 

You reached back to the box, but came up empty. Letting out a soft groan because they really _were_ good — not to mention that even if they weren't, you would still probably eat them because Peter had made them for you — you grabbed the box and prepared to get up to throw it out when a flash of black marker caught your eye. 

You sat up and looked confusedly at the box, swiping out crumbs. You felt Peter's eyes trained on you, the boy even more alert than you were, and you didn't realize why until your sleep filled eyes deciphered the writing on the bottom of the box. 

_Will you go out with me?_

You gasped softly, your brain short circuiting momentarily. 

"Peter?" His name came out a whisper and you looked at him wide eyed. "Is this— are you..." 

"Asking? Yeah." He admitted with a sheepish smile, and this time the both of you were blushing, highlighted by the light of the television screen. 

You just smiled in the silence, dropping the box back next to you and curling up against Peter again. "I'm happy _one_ of us worked up enough nerve." 

Peter laughed, and he squeezed your side tightly. "Trust me, I almost didn't. I was so scared." 

"I'd kiss you right now—" you yawned, "—but I'm so tired, I'm afraid I'll forget it." While that was true, your heart was beating so hard in your chest you heard it, so it must have been blaring like a speaker for Peter. 

"I'll-Ill be here tomorrow," Peter managed to say, eliciting a small chuckle from you. 

"Yes you will." You let your eyes close, and the last thing you felt were Peter's arms around you and his lips leaving a soft kiss on your forehead before you were asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone else wants to request an idea/vague prompt, feel free to go right ahead! Creating a story just off of a specific set of words or something else along those lines is really interesting for me to do, and I really love giving myself that challenge!


	44. "I Swear I Don't Have A Crush"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little different. Not only have I pulled it from the archives of my phone (so it was written a _while ago_ ) but it was also written fully in 3rd person POV. I just figured to try because I'm a little bit more comfortable writing in 3rd because that’s how I normally write outside of reader-inserts. I think I'll stick with 2nd though, lol.
> 
> This is actually an idea my little sister came up with after I asked her about chapter ideas. (She doesn't know that I turned it into fanfic though, she thinks I wrote it into the novel I've been working on, so shh)
> 
> Warnings: it's an overall cute chapter. I did name your best friend Shane because I've been playing a lot of Stardew Valley lately and I like the name (And him), and your favorite band is Fall Out Boy because I've been listening to them the entire time I wrote this (but feel free to change it and the songs listed!) Also, looking back at this, _I_ find it just a tad bit cringe, but I didn’t change anything.

  
"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't have a crush on Peter?" Y/N groaned, twirling her pencil on her desk in front of her. "I swear, I don't have a crush."

"You're such a liar." Her best friend, Shane, said from behind her on her bed.

The two friends had gone to her apartment afterschool to study for a big global test they had that week.

"What about me says that's a lie?" Y/N spun around in her chair, paying no attention on to her study sheet, and instead facing Shane. "Because I'm speaking the truth as far as I'm concerned."

"You obviously don't see yourself then," Shane smirked. "Whatever, tell yourself what you want. But you can't can't deny it forever. You're in _love_!"

"Stop it!" The girl grabbed a Pikachu plush from her desk and pelted it at her friend. "I never want to hear Peter's name come out of your mouth again if you're talking about a fictional crush you made up."

"I wouldn't have 'made it up' if I didn't see it first. Besides, it's my first official ship, I'm pretty sure you're an expert with the term." He frowned. "If you don't want to talk about the good stuff, what did you get for number five on the Algebra homework?"

"Done studying for today?" She sighed, taking out the Algebra packet.

"The test isn't for another three days. You know I wouldn't be studying until the night before if you didn't force me. We have plenty of time before we cram." Shane grinned. "Plus, I wanna go somewhere and drag you with me."

"Will I regret going?" Her E/C eyes scanned over the paper in her hands. "I got x=12."

"Right. Thanks. And, I don't think so." The girl glanced up at him, waiting for him to elaborate on where they were going. "I just have to pick something up before I forget about it."

"You couldn't have remembered before we got here?"

"You know I only remember certain things at certain times."

Y/N shook her head, but smiled. "We'll be back before six, right? I'd like to shower tonight."

"Depends. You might want to stay."

"What?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"What?" Shane blinked and pretended he didn't know what he just said and ignored the blatant eye roll from Y/N. "Anyway, I know you finished this, so wanna head out after I'm done?"

"Sure. It doesn't matter." Y/N told him, putting her school things back into her bookbag. While she waited, she started humming to herself as she sat at her keyboard, picking up from where she last left off composing. After a couple of minutes, she looked over to find Shane texting. "All done?"

"Nearly," he looked over at her and smiled. "Alright. I just told her we're on our way." He started to pack up. "Ready to go?"

"Her?" The girl questioned, grabbing her hoodie and slipping on her sneakers.

"Eh, you'll see."

"Oh, that's never good." Y/N paused, staring at her best friend who refused to look at her in attempts to hide his grin. "Is there something I should know before we leave the comfort of my room?"

"Nothing I _want_ to tell you other than we're just getting a pyrex pan my mom left at a family dinner."

"O _kay_ ," Y/N was still very skeptical. But she trusted Shane, and knew whatever he was hiding wouldn't be too bad. Her first thought was that it had to do something with her upcoming birthday.

Y/N knew all of Shane's family, but had really only been at his parents house, so as they were walking the streets of New York, she followed his lead, because they definitely weren't going to his parents.

As they walked Queens Boulevard, they talked about a lot, but somehow not about where they were going.

"We're here," Shane grabbed Y/N's arm as she began to walk right past the apartment complex and pulled her back.

"So, family dinner?" She asked as they stepped into the elevator and Shane pressed the button for the 7th floor. "Which family?"

"My aunt," He answered casually. "Come on, she's down the hall." Y/N went over his family in her head, trying to figure out which aunt. He had multiple on both of his parents' sides.

She knew his aunts Beth, Caroline, and Lucy all lived out of state, Nikki and Abby were too far away for walking distance, and Gabby hadn't talked to his family for years.

Confusion went through her mind as she was trying to remember who else was left and let out a huff of frustration.

"Which aunt?" She asked him as they stopped in front of an apartment door, but the second she asked, she remembered the last person.

His aunt May.

Shane knocked on the door. "May. You know her." He stated, smile on his face.

Y/N's eyes were open wide in realization. "Shane, you little-" she began to growl, stepping back, but he pulled her back just as the door opened to reveal a boy with messy brown hair and confused brown eyes.

Shane glanced over at Y/N with a sly grin before speaking. "Hey Peter,"

"What's up Shane?" Peter looked over at the girl, and even though they only met once, remembered his name. "H-hey Y/N," he said a little nervously.

"Hey," she gave him a small wave, all she could do without making a fool of herself at the moment.

"They're here?" May's disembodied voice rang out before she came into view. "Let them in!"

Peter gave Y/N a shy smile before turning around. The girl glared at her best friend before following both boys in, closing the door behind her.

She didn't miss the look Shane and May exchanged before the woman spoke.  
"It's so nice to officially meet you Y/N, I've heard so much about you,"

The girl smile. "Ditto. It's nice to put a face to the name. I've heard a lot about you too." Y/N stepped forward, going to outstretch her hand, but when she saw May had her arms out, she accepted the hug with a light laugh.

"Shane talks about you anytime he's here." Then she wiggled her eyebrows. "And Peter does anytime he can fit you into a conversation."

"What?" Y/N heard Peter's voice squeak from behind her, and she involuntarily turned her head to face the boy, feeling her face heat up when he caught her eyes. They stared at each other for a quick second before they both looked away at the speed of light, blush obvious on both of their faces.

"Help me with the dishes?" May asked Shane sweetly, who walked to the kitchen as May turned towards her nephew. "Do you want to show Y/N around or something? We might be a while."

"Oh, um, s-sure." Peter stammered, glancing at the girl, who was staring at her _very_ interesting sneakers. His aunt smiled to herself before turning around, meeting her nephew-in-law in the kitchen.

Peter and Y/N stood awkwardly in silence before she broke it.

"I hope you don't mind if the next time you see Shane, he might have a black eye." She laughed dryly and nervously, but cut herself off quickly.

She hated that Shane was right; not about _love,_ but she definitely had a crush on Peter, and she hated that he, and May seemingly was in on it too, set them up.

"No. Not at all." Peter laughed too. "I'm Peter." The girl glanced up at him and a panicked look appeared on his face. "But-but you know that already, we-we met already. Uh, how are- how are you?"

Y/N smiled at him, which seemed to ease the boy, despite the darkening of the pink color on his cheeks.

"I'm good. You?"

"That's good. I'm-I'm good too."

Y/N sighed. Usually she was the most confident person she knew next to Shane. She _never_ acted this way around any boy she ever had interest in. She had no idea what was it about Peter that made her act like this.

Peter was wondering where his confidence went as well. He normally didn't have much, but when he was wearing the Spider-Man suit, it was off the charts, and he didn't know how to summon it otherwise.

"Do you like music?" He suddenly blurted, remembering overhearing a conversation May was having with Shane.

"Yeah," Y/N answered. "Yeah, I love music." Peter let out a sigh of relief and she relaxed a little. Music was a topic she was comfortable with.

"Do you," he cleared his throat. "Do you wanna sit down?" Peter nodded towards the couch, taking a step in the direction and the girl followed. "What kind of music do you listen too?" She sat down at one end of the couch while Peter sat at the other, bodies angled towards each other.

"Well, I take a lot of inspiration from a lot of bands and artists. My playlist is sort of all over the place." She laughed lightly and Peter knew right away he wanted to hear that sound again. "It ranges from Disney to screamo,"

"Oh wow," Peter chuckle back. "Do you have a favorite band?"

"I could never choose a favorite, but I've been listening to Fall Out Boy for as long as I can remember."

"No way!" Peter exclaimed. "I love Fall Out Boy!"

"Really?" She tilted her head sideways. "What's your favorite song?"

"Um," He thought about it. "I have a lot of favorites, but I'm gonna have to go with Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner. Yours?"

"That's a good one," Y/N thought about it. "I've always loved Calm Before The Storm."

"I know what you're doing." Peter stated, smile on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Fake fans are really annoying." He laughed.

Y/N nervously smiled. "You caught me," she shrugged. "I don't have to worry about you?"

"I sure hope not." And just like that, the awkwardness returned as they didn't know how to continue.

Peter scanned his brain for something he remembered about her, and took a little longer than he would've liked to settle on a topic, but ultimately decided to stick with the music one.

"You said you drew inspiration earlier? You play piano, right?" The girl bit the inside of her cheek, and Peter worried that she was judging him for knowing. "Shane told me," he added quickly.

"I-I do. Guitar and ukelele too. I write songs."

"Really? That sounds so cool!"

"Well, I try to," She looked down at her hands, which she was fumbling with in her lap. "It's nothing, really," Although that was a lie. She dreamed of being a singer-songwriter.

"Do you sing too? I would love to hear you sing," Peter said not noticing the dreamy tone of his voice.

"Oh. Um-"

"You don't have too! Not right now if you don't want too!" Peter spoke. "I'm sure you sound beautiful though. Not that I'm calling you beautiful- wait - no- y-you _are_ beautiful," And yet again the both of them were blushing messes. "I-I mean, I was talking about you-your voice," he stuttered, voice softer from embarrassment. Y/N stared at him, completely flustered. "Oh god. I'm so sorry!" Peter groaned into his hands."

"Wow." The girl breathed out. "It's okay, Peter," she told him softly, just as embarrassed as he was. Then she laughed. "You're beautiful too."

"What?" Peter's head shot up.

"You know what I mean, but it's funnier that way." She grinned at him, the butterflies in her stomach going crazy.

"You think I'm beautiful?" Peter shook his head and laughed breathlessly. "You-you know what I mean."

"You really think _I_ am?"

"I really do." Then they both went silent.

"Then yes, I do." Y/N watched as Peter grinned. "I still can't believe Shane did this and it worked."

"I knew May was acting a little funny, but I'm glad this is what happened." Peter closed his eyes and smiled down at the couch before looking up and his warm brown eyes meeting Y/N's twinkling E/C ones.

"Me too,"

They held eye contact for what was a magical couple of seconds for them, just memorizing each other's features, as if they hadn't already, until Shane's voice pulled them out of their fantasy.

"Earth to Y/N!" The girl jumped and turned her head to face the black haired boy and May appeared next to him.

"You wanna stay for dinner, sweetie?" Shane had that grin on his face, one that had never left, and paired with May's smile, she knew that this all went according to their plan.

She glanced over at Peter and she saw a blush creeping up his neck again as he came to the same realization she had just did.

"I would love too."


	45. I'll Be Fine...Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another one from the archives (heads up, the next one will be too!) It’s a short chapter that I've had in my drafts for a while, and always said I would get back too because I have plans to turn it into something larger. I figured as should just post it to see if anyone liked the idea, and to see what number I should put it on my priority list to finish. (I'll definitely (maybe) change the name so it fits better — and post it in a separate chapter if I ever expand) 
> 
> Warning(s): aNgSt

As far as normal study sessions went, this was definitely the quietest. You and Peter had a reputation of getting the work done, but only after hours of getting distracted every couple of minutes. Laughing, talking, daring Peter to do tricks with his webs. By those terms, this definitely wasn't a normal study session. And it seemed like Peter knew something was wrong the entire time.

"Hey Y/N?" Peter asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" You replied. You had finished prepping for the actual test a while ago, and was just waiting for Peter to finish homework he forgot to do by reading a book.

"Are you okay?" That made you look up, sending a questioning glance in his direction. "I mean, you've just seemed really sad lately."

"I'm fine Pete," you mumbled, avoiding his eyes which narrowed in your direction. Your answer just made the boy think the opposite, which _was_ true.

"I think you're lying." Peter stated, placing down his homework and scooting over closer to you. The past week or so, he's been watching you gradually grow distant. Not anything terribly bad, and he noticed it right away, but was too scared to mention anything in case you thought the worst. "You know you can tell me anything," he reminded you and you bit the inside of your cheek. "What's wrong?"

You knew you couldn't tell him the full truth, but to your dismay, he caught on. It shouldn't have been so surprising, Peter was a smart boy, but part of you hoped that this would've been one of the things he was blind to. You acted too differently, and he noticed. You had to tell him something, but you were too bad a liar to make up something on the spot.

You sighed. "I just don't know why people don't like me." You mumbled, using your book to block the sight of your best friend.

"What are you talking about?" Peter was confused. "Tons of people like you! I like you,"

"Not like that, Peter," you admitted, mumbling the words, glancing up at him.

"You mean _like_ like you," Peter said, understanding, and you embarrassedly nodded your head. "Oh Y/N, why are you thinking like that?" He moved even closer, making the bed bounce, before he gently pulled down your book, taking it from you, making sure to bookmark the page, so he could have your full attention.

"I'm just saying—" you cleared your throat, and spoke a little more clearly. Like you _weren't_ sad. "I'm just saying, from my experience with crushes, none of them have ever like me back. And it's just getting really depressing, because the one I have now, I'm certain he doesn't like me like I like him." You sighed dejectedly. "I know he likes someone else."

"How could you be so sure?"

"I just know." You said plainly. "A lot of people have a crush on her, actually. I just don't know what she has that I don't."

"Come on Y/N/N! Don't compare yourself to her!" Peter exclaimed. "I didn't even know you had a crush on someone." He then muttered under his breath.

"It doesn't matter. It's just something I'll have to get over and then I'll be fine." You tried to dismiss it, change the subject, but Peter wasn't having that.

"It does matter obviously," Peter said, slightly annoyed, but not with you entirely. "Whoever this guy is, he's making you really sad and that's not okay. Who is it?"

"I can't tell you." You answered, your voice quieting down again.

"You can." Peter said, staring at you, but when he saw you grab and open your book again, he realized you really wouldn't say. "Fine. Then who's the girl you think he has a crush on then?"

You were silent for a moment longer before you spoke. "The same girl as you." You voice was so soft, that if you two weren't the only people in the room, Peter wouldn't have heard you.

"Liz?" He questioned, although he knew he was right by the way you folded in on yourself. Peter leaned back away from you, unsure of what to do next.

"Like I said, it's fine. I'll deal with it Pete,"

"No. I want to help." Peter stated firmly. "Why are you comparing yourself to her?" He asked hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't I?" You asked rhetorically, about to answer your own question. "She's really pretty, and smart, and popular. She's the complete opposite of me."

"Yeah," Peter said dreamily, an involuntary smile making its way onto his face, but he quickly pulled himself out of his daze when he realized what he said could be mistaken for. "I-I just mean she is those things. Not that you aren't." He didn't want to make you any sadder, because it was killing him seeing you like this. "Y/N, you're no different than Liz,"

"Really?" You laughed dryly. "In what world would I be pretty or popular?" You shook your head and stopped Peter before before he could interject. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore. Crushes just aren't my thing I guess."

"Please don't start thinking you'll die alone," Peter pleaded, his tone joking but also laced with concern. "Whoever this guy is, if he doesn't see you for who you are, which is an _amazing_ person, then he doesn't deserve you liking him anyway." He smiled, playfully pushing your shoulder. "Now, do you want to help me finish this so we can forget how old we are and have some fun?"

You smiled back although sadness was still in your eyes. "I'm not doing all the work this time." You sighed as you grabbed a pencil from your desk, picking up his paper.

"No." Peter grinned. "Of course not."

You realized what you said earlier was exactly what you had to do. Move on. The crush wasn't one you should've had in the first place. If you truly came clean, it would ruin everything. Tear apart your most valuable friendship.

It would kill you if Peter found out that this entire time, the two of you were talking about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. If anyone liked the idea, and wants the angst expanded, just let me know!


	46. Mistletoe Revelations [HolidayVerse]

What was it they said about Christmas time? That it was the happiest time of year?

You tried your hardest to believe that until you truly did. 'Fake it til' you make it' and all that jazz.

For some reason, missions have been picking up like crazy for the Avengers. It was the holiday season, but you have been part of this semi-dysfunctional family long enough to know that even superheros didn't get breaks sometimes.

It worried you more than it should. Maybe it was the cold New York temperatures outside that added the extra chill of fear or maybe it was just you being more paranoid than usual. You figured you shouldn't blame yourself for it. After all, since Thanksgiving, you had been nervous something would go wrong; something you would never recover from.

Well, luckily, you had made it nearly to the end of December with minimal problems. Note that there were a few bumps.

It took a week before you and Peter could act normal around each other again. Seven days filled with awkward glances and stumbled sentences that slowly but progressively transitioned back into your normal banter and comfortableness. You figured Peter decided to take the route you had: forget all about it until it came back to bite the both of you in the ass.

It's been nearly a month since that whipped cream apple pie mess. A month since you almost kissed your best friend. _Peter Parker._ The boy you've known inside and out and trusted with your life for well over five years.

Well obviously, you didn't know him as well as you thought you did. Maybe you didn't even know _yourself_ as well as you thought you did. Because that afternoon, you were 100% certain he was about to kiss you, and you made no attempt to stop him in any way.

But now, you were dancing around (to the best of your ability) and singing in the Avengers Tower to holiday music blaring from the overhead speakers while you did your hardest to contribute to making every floor as festive as you possibly could. Even now, this close to Christmas, you still found tacky decorations you could add.

As per your request, the lights were dimmed except the giant tree in the corner of the main communal floor. It was a massive thing, only a foot from touching the 9 foot ceilings. A beautiful Christmas evergreen that couldn't be more perfect — you had Tony Stark's money and Thor's strength to thank for getting that tree into the Tower.

It stood undecorated, since you had wanted to wait until all of the Avengers were gathered as a whole before it got decorated, but it didn't stop you from spending over five hours untangling balls of wire and lighting the entire tree yourself on one boredom induced day when the entire Tower was pretty much empty because S.H.I.E.L.D. had called a high alert mission that needed everyone that could get. Including Bruce and Peter.

You hated that you were left behind, as you did every time you weren't allowed to go on a mission, but Tony's paternal instincts took over and commanded you stayed back because of the injury you sustained the last mission; taking a gunshot to the leg to cover Natasha who had been at the moment holding on to a metal beam and dangling above a 60 foot drop so she could recover and take care of the guy that was aiming to kill her. He shot you in a blink of an eye, piercing the flesh of your thigh, but better that than Nat's chest. Your thigh had been healing up nicely, since the mission had been just after Thanksgiving, but you still sported a crutch and a limp. Definitely not up to going on missions again just yet.

But the injury did not hinder you in any way when it came to lighting a Christmas tree. Even when you had to drag out a ladder to reach the top. You successfully lit that bad boy all by yourself and had the fresh scratches all over your arms and the piney scent now embedded in your bloodstream to prove it.

You hummed and swayed along to your favorite holiday songs as you lit candles — vanilla and cinnamon, since peppermint (while festive themed) made Peter sick and break out in hives. And since holiday break was approaching, him and May had been spending a lot of time over at the Tower because they didn't have to be alone.

You and Loki had taken on the task of decorating the main floor. While Wanda and Pietro would have been a big help with their respective powers, they had their own floors assigned. It was a bit of a tradition for each member of the team to get their own floor to decorate and on Christmas Day, Natasha — ever the judge — would declare the winner. Since the main floor was the biggest and not to mention the most used, you had the luck to have your Asgardian friend working with you since it was mandated that the floor required two people.

Decorating with Loki had it's pros and cons.

Pro: he had impeccable taste for interior design, only combating that of Pepper's. Soon, the both of you worked out a perfect combination of gold and silver with red and green highlights to transform the main floor into a Christmas wonderland. For someone who claimed he couldn't be bothered with Midgardian holidays and traditions, you didn't miss the way his eyes lit up and the joy he took in doing something that he enjoyed doing.

Con: along with the Maximoff twins you (begrudgingly at the moment) called your best friends, Loki wove carefully placed words into innocent enough conversations, trying to get you to slip up about your seemingly newfound feelings about Peter. He was good, you'd give him that. Not as blunt about it as Pietro (that boy spouted enough imaginary scenarios for you to play out with Peter to make your unborn _grandchildren_ blush).

Definitely not as manipulative as Wanda (she continues to think if she continues to feed Peter's current thoughts of you into your head that maybe you'd get up and do something — which was a tactic you tried hard to fight because it _was_ working.)

No. Loki was _good._ Not just good — masterful — when it came to getting someone to spill information. He had a way of worming himself into your brain and steering conversations to his preferred topic of discussion without you even noticing until you found yourself spouting what you enjoyed the most about Peter's company and then quickly shutting yourself up when you caught the smirk of self-satisfaction that Loki could never hide on his face out of the corner of your eye.

Needless to say, it was a no brainer whos floor was going to win. You and Loki had put in too much hard work for it not too.

The twinkling lights of the tree bounced around the room, in a display that you knew would be a million times better when the lights were lower than 40%, basking the room in a warm golden white glow that caught the reflective surface of the gold and silver garland that was hanging in intricate designs (that took _way_ too long to accomplish — even with Loki's magic) from the ceiling.

You knew once the tree was decorated, with the lights off, the room would be bursting with color and filled with the happiness and child-like wonder that only Christmas seemed to bring.

The team had been called off on another mission — one that Steve swore would be the last until after the holidays or else he'd beat up Fury himself— so you were almost alone in the Tower. You knew Bruce was relaxing a couple floors below you unwinding, Pepper and Morgan were just a room away playing dress-up, and Clint and his family were nestled together a couple floors above. It was nice that the Bartons decided to join your Avengers family for Christmas this year. You liked to believe the more the merrier. And you couldn't forget that Wanda was only a couple rooms away, cooking a late night meal for when everyone got back.

You sincerely hoped this would be the last mission. Not only have they been getting tougher, but Christmas Eve was tomorrow night, and you wanted to celebrate without any life threatening problems. You weren't sure Tony could handle any more stress, especially because he was constantly being dragged away from his wife and daughter. Hell, _you_ weren't sure if you could handle any more stress. The last time, everyone had come back a little bit more than beat up. Some wannabes trying to become the new Hydra were a little more of a problem then they let on and the base gave Steve, Peter, Pietro, and Natasha a run for their money.

You had tried to stop yourself from taking care of Peter since he wasn't in a shape to go back to his and May's in Queens that night but ultimately failed when you saw the extent of his injuries — nothing horrible, but the amount of bruises covering his body told you he took a lot more hits than he initially told you he did and you made sure that he sat with you confined to the couch with an ice pack on every surface that needed it it. To make yourself feel better, you told him and yourself that if you weren't allowed to move around much because of your healing leg, you were going to make him succumb to the feeling of uselessness with you too.

"Food's done, if you want to get the first plate," you heard Wanda's voice and you enstinguished the flame of your lighter, turning your head to see her own peeking out from the corner that separated the living area from the kitchen.

"Yes, please," you said eagerly. For nearly an hour, you had been salivating from the smell of spices and cooking food. You lit the candles in hopes it could combat the smell of the meal and make you forget and loose the urge to pick until it was done. Looks like they weren't needed.

You would have ran to the kitchen if you could, but you were slowed by the metal crutch you held under your arm. You refused to use its pair, believing that you were just fine without it. You would walk without the crutch if you could, but a pointed look from Bucky — who had first hand experience with handling the sick and injured — you let the crutch help relive some weight from your still weakened leg.

The Bartons and Bruce joined you and Wanda in the kitchen, striking up a pleasant conversation as the group of you dug in to Wanda's cooking. You know knew her jókai bableves were to die for as you ate, the soup warming you up from head to toe and filling with every bite.

"Is that food?"

Pietro was the first to rush into the kitchen, signaling the teams return, followed closely by Natasha and the others. The relief that flew through you was almost as good as the food you were eating.

"I'm starving!"

Not bothering to take the meal to the dining room, everyone took spots in the kitchen with their bowls. You couldn't feel more at ease, with your family surrounding you. Even if they were talking about how they punched bad guys in the faces and laughed about Steve slipping on ice, landing on his shield, and going skidding ten feet across the ground as they were leaving for the quinjet.

~🎄~

"Rudolph."

"The Santa Clause."

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

"Eight Crazy Nights?" 

"Come on guys, clearly, Die Hard is the obvious choice here." 

"No one wants to watch Die Hard on Christmas Eve, Tony!" 

"Maybe they do? All in favor for Die Hard, raise their hands." 

You, as well as most of the room, burst into laughter as Tony looked around the room with feigned looks, the obvious joke playing in his large grin. 

"I think we should watch Nightmare Before Christmas," Morgan piped up, the small girl snuggled into her mothers side. 

"I think that's settles it." Tony smiled at his daughter with adoration in his eyes. "The Nightmare Before Christmas it is. FRI, can you get that started please?" 

A content hum passed around the crowded room. The couch was full and pillows and blankets were piled up high to make the ground comfortable to lounge on as everyone huddled together for the start of a movie day the morning of Christmas Eve. Nearly everyone was here — Jane having promised that her, Thor, and Darcy would make an appearance. 

"All right," you tried your hardest to make your voice sound angry as you held up the large empty bowl. It was difficult, Peter already having caught your eye and the guilt hard to hide on his face. "Who ate all the popcorn already!" The movie hadn't even been playing too long.

"Not to point fingers, but..." Sam cleared his throat and nodded in Peter's direction as you snorted and stood up from your spot on the couch with the bowl. 

"Hey!" The protests came the second the first pair of eyes saw you on your feet and you immediately shut them down with your best Ebenezer Scrooge 'Bah!' as you batted hands away from pulling you back down. Just because you were hurt, didn't mean they could coddle you back to health. 

Limping to the kitchen, you quickly heard a pair of footsteps behind you. 

"You really shouldn't be moving around as much as you are, y'know." 

You rolled your eyes with a small smile as Peter's concern. It was nothing new. "How would you know what I should be doing?" You mused hypothetically. "Have you been shot before?"

"You can't use that excuse every time," Peter countered, appearing next to you as you reached for the popcorn kernels, hearing the lyrics to _What's This_ fill the room right next to you. "It's not my fault I got super reflexes." He grinned.

Just for that, you tossed a couple kernels in his general direction, making him laugh as one hit his cheek. 

"Seriously though," you glanced over at Peter as you put on the lid of the popcorn machine and turned it on. "Is it getting better? You feel okay? What does it look like?"

"It barely hurts, the wound's healed over, Pete," you tell him truthfully. "This is just for precaution." You tapped your crutch against the counter for emphasis. 

"You'll have to show me for me to believe you." He replied, smiling. 

"Trust me: you don't wanna see." You grimaced and Peter noticed. You were definitely going to have a nasty scar for a long time. 

"I'm sure you'd still look beautiful." Peter froze, his face flushing quickly than you could open your mouth. "The— the scar will look beautiful. Like, it healed over nicely. It'll probably look fine. That's what I mean." He stuttered, trying to quickly amend his statement as if you hadn't already heard and was combating a blush yourself. 

There were moments like this now. Where sentences you would have brushed off in the past as Peter just being Peter and constantly complimenting you like he did everyone now affected you in a way that made you embarrassed of yourself. You never used to react like this. Not until that day put things in a whole new perspective for you. It didn't take long after that for you to realize the small things Peter seemed to do with you — and only you. Not just since Thanksgiving, but for years before. 

It made you think just how long Peter has been harboring a crush he's never acted on. You wouldn't blame him, since you clearly hadn't reciprocated the feelings until just recently. But he didn't know about that, and hopefully wouldn't know about it until much, _much,_ later. A time when you can fully wrap your mind around everything and logically make the next step that has your friendship with him in the best of heart. Because you knew in the long run, there was no way you wanted to lose that.

The popping of the first corn kernel served as a very much needed distraction from the welling silence. You didn't know why Peter followed you just as much as knowing exactly why. It was what the two of you normally did. Where one went, the other did too. You guessed even you couldn't dismiss the fact that you just loved to spend as much time with Peter as possible when he was around. Before the 'incident', and even now. You could never get sick of him. 

  
"I was sent to ask if guys wanna decorate the tree once the movie's over?"

You turned your head at the sound of May's voice and you smiled, nodding your head.

"Sounds good. Pete?"

"Yeah," he agreed, grabbing the now done popcorn and getting ready to transfer to the bowl.

He offered to carry the full bowl because of your crutch, but you knew he just wanted to snack on the way back to the TV.

You paused and counted the mass of bodies when you noticed something was off. You didn't know exactly what, but you had a gut feeling.

That was when a whoosh of silver passed in front of you, making a couple pieces of popcorn hit your cheek. With a grin, Pietro sat back down in his spot (the person missing of course) and tapped on Thor's shoulder, making the Asgardian look up at you and Peter.

Just as you were about to continue forward, Thor's voice boomed, making both you and Peter jump and more popcorn hit the ground.

"Isn't it Midgardian custom for two mortals to kiss under the mistletoe?" He asked no one in particular, but making every head turn in your direction.

A groan escaped in a low rumble. Not believing it, you sighed with your eyes closed before tilting your head back to see a sprig of the plant handing above you and Peter from a red ribbon taped to the ceiling.

"Finally!" Clint whooped. "Someone got caught! I didn't even see it there!"

"That's 'cause it wasn't." You said, a little sharper than nessecary, your crutch clicking against the floor as you shifted, getting ready to walk away but protests stopped you again.

"Come on! Give him a smooch! Christmas tradition." Darcy cheered, capturing and diverting everyone's sole attention to you and a now rose colored Peter.

"H-hey, it's not _my_ tradition," Peter said quickly, trying to remind everyone — not that they seemed to care.

"Tradition shouldn't dictate who I have to kiss." You tried. "Right?" You turned to Peter, who agreed, nodding his head.

"Yeah, it's uh — it's cool. We wouldn't want to make anything weird between us." _Weirder,_ is what you thought he should have said. Pre-Thanskgiving Y/N and Peter would have quickly kissed without any second thought, instead of dragging this scene out and making you feel the most humiliated you have in your life.

It really shouldn't have been a big deal. But now it was. There were variables you had to take into consideration. You couldn't just kiss Peter and be left with having the memory of the feeling before you sorted out exactly how you felt about him.

"But it's _tradition,_ "

You just wanted to get back to the couch, eat popcorn, and watch the movie. You didn't want to blame Peter because he was pretty much frozen in his spot, but you could have used a little bit more help to get out of this.

"Whatever." You sighed, not wanting to deal with the team calling you the Grinch for the rest of the evening.

"What?" Peter squeaked as you leaned over to him. You planted a firm kiss on his cheek and made a show of not wanting to do anything more as you hobbled away.

Still, Tony had to speak up.

"Come on!" He laughed. "That wasn't even close to a kiss!"

"Hey, Y/N did what she was comfortable with. Give her credit for that."

Sitting down on the couch, you sent a grateful smile to Bucky. In return, the man raised his cup in your direction and nodded his head. You forgot: he also had experience sorting out feelings for his best friend.

Pietro's voice was a whisper as you felt him zoom around the room again. "Don't think this is over," he teased before settling back in his spot. You tried your hardest not to think about what he could possibly have planned and why he was so invested in getting you and Peter together.

Instead, you decided to settle back down in your spot, draping a shared blanket with Pepper and Morgan over your lap.

You looked around the room, all of the Avengers and their friends and family in one room, huddled together in pajamas under blankets in front of a TV watching a movie together. Soon, the group of you would get to work decorating the tree — the boxes of ornaments begging to be opened. You couldn't help but to think that this is how to should always be.

Except maybe this time next year, instead of a pillow, you could be holding Peter's hand.

~ BONUS SCENE! ~

You barely had time to wipe the sleep from your eyes when Lila had dragged you out of bed, excited for it to finally be Christmas morning. But by the time you reached the common floor, you were fully awake and excited for the holiday. 

  
Now, you were grinning as everyone was seated on the ground around the tree. The giant pile under the tree has subside substantially, a rival pile of empty gift boxes and torn wrapping paper growing on the other side of the room. Tony had ordered a couple of drones to fly above everyone's heads to capture every moment of the magical morning.

It was chaos. Beautiful chaos. There was laughter and hot cocoa and sentiment in every present opened. That same chaos followed everyone outside to the Tower's terrace to where a raging snowball fight ensued.

"Hey! I said _no_ powers! What's up with all these kids not listening? You'd think _they_ were the deaf ones." You heard Clint grumble by your side. You stayed silent, but couldn't help but to think he was breaking his own rule because every snowball hit its target with superhuman accuracy. There was no way that was all him. But hey, Clint was on your team. You weren't going to be the one to point it out.

Dodging attacks, you watched with a grin the people you called family around you.

Tony took a hit to the shoulder, and dramatically fell to the ground as Morgan laughed and dragged him back up. Wanda was using her power as a shield as she built herself a snowman. Also using his power was Loki, who kept getting caught using mirages to sneak up on opponents. Pietro was surprisingly good not using his, but it didn't hinder him at _all,_ you realized. Pepper, May, Laura and Nathaniel, Jane, and Bruce sat sectioned from the fight having a conversation that included a lot of sideways glances and exasperated faces.

"All right, regroup!" You heard Bucky shout to your team, and everyone huddled down. You, Clint, Bucky, Cooper, Pietro, Darcy, Thor, and Wanda crouched behind the protection of the solid snow wall the group of you had made at the start of the fight, awaiting Bucky's instruction.

"Okay, even with a five year old on their side, we shouldn't see the other team as any less of a threat." Bucky began as snowballs flew overhead and taunts filled the air. "I propose we push."

"Go beyond our line of safety?"

"Ah! Hand to hand combat!" Thor exclaimed.

"No." Bucky shook his head, sighing. "They have at least two tactical leaders over there. If they're smart, which they are, Steve and Natalia — maybe Stark — would have a similar set up to ours. I say we take what ammo we can carry, don't attack until we have too, and then seize their base and use it against them so we can claim victory. Y/N, I don't want you running but to man this base. With your arm, you can protect from the distance."

You nodded your head. "Agreed?" The others nodded along as well. "Good. Get ready to run."

At Bucky's command, the group gathered pre-made snowballs and shot up, vaulting the wall and running into the empty space in between.

The other team stopped for a moment, confused as to what was going on, before they began to fire at double speed.

Committing to your position (mostly because of your leg and inability to run), you covered your teams backs, trying your hardest to take down whoever made themselves the biggest and most dangerous targets — namely Natasha and Steve.

The pile of snowballs next to you having quickly disappeared, you crawled over to the next stash, staying out of target range.

Grabbing from the pile, you sat up, ready to throw again, but you were instead met with a smiling face.

"I'll take that!" Peter plucked your snowball out of your hand before you could throw it. You gasped as he tumbled over the ice wall and met you on your side, tossing the snow in your direction and you barely moving in time to dodge it.

"Smart of Nat to send you over here," you narrowed your eyes as you lunged for another snowball.

"She said you were an open target. Take you out, then pick off your team one by one from their own base." He grinned, evading your throw and hopping back, quickly forming a new snowball in his hands to counterattack with.

"You'd really take me out? Aren't I injured enough?" You teased, rolling away to avoid getting hit.

"I'd apologize, but this is war, Y/N."

"Touché. May the best one of us win then."

Your snowballs collided with each other's midair in a burst of snow and in a frenzy, both you and Peter jumped to the pile of pre-made ammunition.

Reaching for the same weapon, you swatted Peter's gloved hand away and stretched out your good leg to hold him back. Instead, he tripped over it and landed nearly on top of you instead.

You laughed as he grabbed at your arm, effectively knocking the snowball from your hand. Now the both of you were at a standstill. Neither could move without the other having a chance to get the upper hand.

Peter, his hand still pinning your wrist down, smirked as he stared across from you. "It's me or you."

"Surrender now. It'll be easier to declare a winner." You shot back with grin, slowly gathering snow with the hand behind your back.

"Or you could surrender, and admit that my team is superior."

"Fat chance, Parker. We're smoking you. That's why Nat sent you over. A desperation play."

"Maybe." He shrugged the best he could. "How about you look up and see who triumphed over there?"

A smirk curled the corners of your lips as you stared at the boy. "Almost got me there," you admitted. "But I know better than to fall for your tricks. It seems we're at an impasse."

"It would seem so."

There was a moment of anticipation, the both of you trying to figure out each other's moves. Peter's face cheeks and nose were flushed red from the bite of the cold, but there was no sign of discomfort. In fact, his eyes seemed brighter than ever as they never left yours.

With enough snow in your palm, you squeezed your hand, just waiting for the right moment.

You leaned closer, using your shoulder to prop you up the best you could. You couldn't hear the gasp Peter let out, but the puff of his breath against the air was visible. He faltered for a moment, and that's what you needed.

"No truce?" He stared at you. His last attempt. He knew you too good by now, and knew that you were about to deliver the final blow.

"Nope." You smiled as you smooshed the snow in your hand against the side of his face.

Peter let out an exaggerated groan of defeat and held up his hands in surrender before the both of you doubled over in laughter, falling against the back of the wall and laying in the snow together.

It seemed your eyes had only been closed a moment before you saw a large shadow block the light. You and Peter must have seen it at the same time, because the both of you recoiled and prepared for the impact as you saw both your and Peter's teams standing above the two of you. Tony said something about canoodleing with enemy was against the rules before the rain of loosely formed snowballs showered down on you and Peter, ending with everyone wearing smiles so big it felt like your faces were going to split in two. 

\--------

_**I wanted to** _ _**write** _ _**a Hanukkah** _ _**themed** _ _**chapter because Peter's Jewish (I have a** _ _**couple** _ _**of ideas for that) but I** _ _**couldn't** _ _**get it finished** _ _**in** _ _**time. Next year it is!** _

**_Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for anyone who_ ** **_celebrates_ ** **_any other and just as cool holidays this winter season!! I_ ** **_hope_ ** **_everyone_ ** **_enjoys their holidays, stays safe, and has fun!!!_ **

**_Side note_** : **_To everyone waiting for a requested chapter, I would like to say that_** ** _I've_** ** _been doubling down working on them. You should see yours being posted in the following weeks! (So updates will probably be flooded with requested chapters) I_** ** _really appreciate your patience, and the fact that anyone_** ** _left_** ** _a request at all!!_**

**_Side side note: I would also like everyone to know that at the moment, I am closing requests. They'll open again in a little bit, I just want to better manage my personal deadlines. If anyone has any ideas/requests, this Sunday [12/27] is the deadline! Again, I appreciate it!!_ **


	47. What Are Friends For?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): a lovesick Peter Parker :) this is so fluffy

  
"Y/N, help!"

The sudden emergence of Peter's voice paired with his body nearly crashing into yours made you jump, the surprise pulling a small yelp from you.

Peter grabbed your arms like he was a dying man, but nothing about him seemed to be hurt. As you blinked away your surprise, you looked him over. His cheeks were blushing a bright red and his chest was rising and falling with quick shallow breaths, but you knew by now that it was less likely that he was flushed because he was running than it snowing in July because of the spider bite that somehow gave the boy superpowers.

"I— she— agh!" Peter let go of you to bring his hands to cover his face. Now realizing what was happening, you shifted your bag to your side after putting away your art project. Patiently, you waited for Peter's sputtering to slow as you watched him with a raised eyebrow.

"Think you can speak now?" You teased when he stopped making random noises and dragged his hands through his hair before down his face. He attempted to send a glare in your direction, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. "What happened this time?"

"She caught me staring at her!" You nodded your head silently as you closed your locker door and turned, grabbing Peter's elbow to turn him with you and pulled him forward slightly to get him walking towards the schools exit.

"Uh huh," you started. "And what happened next?"

"Uh, she went back to reading." He admitted embarrassedly.

"And you..." you prompted for him to finish. You knew what he was going to say anyway. It was routine at this point.

"Ran to find you..." No matter how much you were expecting the answer, you still couldn't keep yourself from laughing. "Come on! You promised you wouldn't laugh anymore!" Peter whined, and you watched as he turned redder, nearly matching the shade of Captain America's shield.

"Did I though?" You asked between snickers, your voice an octave higher as you blatantly lied. "Okay, you can't blame me, it's hilarious to watch you dance around MJ. Especially when you're the only one dancing!"

"Shh!" Peter hissed, his head twisting around to look at the other students walking on the sidewalk. But you knew that they couldn't care less about the two of you and wasn't paying attention in the slightest. You just rolled your eyes and waited for Peter to finish being paranoid. "I don't — I'll _die_ if MJ finds out I like her!" He whispered to you.

You took a deep breath, still smiling, to calm yourself so another fit of laughter wouldn't break out before you slowly turned your head and stared at Peter as the both of you walked in the direction you went to get home every day.

"Peter, lemme tell you this right now." You blinked more times than what was necessary just to earn the deadpan look from the boy next to you. "She already _knows_ you like her. You are _the_ most obvious when you try to hide a crush."

"No..." Peter argued weakly. His skin was pretty much back to normal, spare the tips of his ears.

You just waited.

"Okay. Fine. You're right."

"I know I am." You stated, shoving your hands into your hoodie pockets.

"Why do I deal with you?"

"Because you love me and you would be absolutely lost without me?" You answered, flashing your teeth in a wide grin. Peter only replied with a grumble, but you could see he was resisting the urge to smile. "Come on man, what kind of bestie would I be if I didn't dote on you every once in a while. Plus, it would be breaking the best friend rules if I _didn't_ make fun of you constantly."

"I know, I know," Peter sighed and you calmed yourself.

You knew Peter inside and out, and you couldn't help but to be happy for him. He had a crush on MJ. A _real_ real crush. Not like the one he had on Liz, but because he and MJ were spending time together and he was actually getting to know her and fall in love with her habits. And he was making a complete fool of himself because of it.

You also knew where to draw the line between picking on him for it and actually helping him out with trying to make his move. That was, if he could gather up enough courage to do it before MJ herself did. She definitely was the type of girl to do so. Hell, if you never knew Peter, you probably would've let yourself crush on her.

"I just really like her, you know?"

"I know." You nudged his arm with your shoulder. "But you gotta man up, Pete. You can't flee the moment you two lock eyes."

"You're telling me, the hero and protector of the wonderful borough that is Queens, the boy with enough power to chuck an elephant across a football field, that I need to man up?"

"Emphasis on _boy._ " You shrugged, hearing a scoff of disbelief from Peter. "Look, I'm serious though." You pulled out your phone and opened your messaging, clicking on MJ's name before shoving it in his face. "Just look at our messages. Think about MJ's personality. While she is the type of person to point out the obvious, she's also the type to hide how she feels until she's comfortable."

Peter blinked as he scrolled through your messages. "You guys talk about me?" He paused. "You guys talk about me!"

You snorted. "It's an entertaining past-time." You said like it wasn't anything while Peter just stared at you.

You did hesitate though, taking your phone back before he scrolled too far up. If he went far enough back, he would see the messages where MJ confessed to you her crush on Peter. That's why you were so sure the two of them were going to work out. But you didn't want Peter to know just yet. You wanted him to work up the courage on his own, not to gain it and have that cushion.

You wanted him to work through his very human teenage boy fears. But you also knew you wouldn't last too much longer. If they weren't dating by the end of the school year, there was no doubt you were going to tell him, because you weren't sure if you could take a whole summer of Peter being lovesick on your couch without meddling yourself. You also told yourself that if MJ started to show signs of longing like Peter in her own way, you would just shove the two of them into a room and lock it behind you until the truth came out. Hey, if they didn't like it, they should have picked another mutal friend to confide in.

Peter frowned. "Does that mean she's not comfortable with me?" You heard him ask softly.

"No, man," you rolled your eyes. "It means she's not comfortable with herself yet. Feelings like this are scary. I have Exhibit A right in front of me." You told him, guesturing to his body as the both of you rounded a corner. "Like I said, she obviously knows about your feelings." You continued. "She's probably just processing them and trying to figure out what move to make next." You made sure to say your words carefully. You might have been a better liar than Peter, just you also got free with your mouth at times when talking about a topic you were invested in.

"Oh, she's probably come up with twenty ways of breaking my heart by now!" Peter groaned and tugged on the strings from his backpack.

"You are so melodramatic," you pinched the bridge of your nose. "Seriously. Are you on your period?"

"Remind me to be this rude to you when you get a crush on someone." Peter huffed before he held an arm out to stop you from walking, just as a bird went zooming by at your eye level just in front of you.

"Thanks," you breathed out, the shock of Peter saving your face from being hit with a bird bomb fading, and turning your head to watch the frenzy fueled pigeon swoop like crazy through the air.

"No problem," he answered non-chalantly before he dived back into your conversation. "Look Y/N, I just don't know how to talk about _that_ with her! Decathalon? Great. Trigonometry? Perfectly fine. Living Environment? Sure. History — I could listen to her rant about it for hours..." You grinned as a far away look appeared in Peter's eyes for a couple of moments before he snapped himself out of it. "We get along just fine when we're talking about school, but anything else? — Especially my feelings for her — I just freeze up! You know that."

"And do you know why?" You asked, Peter following you as you crossed the street before the light changed, weaving between the idling cars.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean: why are you so scared to tell her?"

"Because what if she doesn't like me like that? We didn't even start actually talking to each other as anything more than classmates until this year! What if she rejects me?"

You nodded you head and listened to Peter ramble about different reasons why he was afraid to tell MJ how he felt as the both of you walked up the stairs to your apartment. He was just finishing up as you unlocked your front door, and the two of you melted onto the couch in the living room.

"Hey Peter, what else are you afraid of?" You asked him.

"What?"

"What are your other fears? Outside of getting rejected."

"Don't you already know?" He looked at you with a ounce of suspicion in his eyes.

"Yes I do. But I want you to tell me anyway."

He paused for a minute, thinking. "Um, clowns. Uh...spiders, and small spaces."

"Mh hm." Peter looked up at you, trying to figure out your thought process.

"Why?"

"What did you do when Ned's sister wanted a balloon animal that time we all went to the circus and Ned was in the bathroom?"

"Y/N what are you—"

"Just answer the question."

Peter sat up on his seat. "I uh, I brought her over to the clown and stood there with her while we waited."

"Uh huh, and what about when you found that spider in your room?"

"I caught it and put it outside."

"And when that guy was stuck in between that truck and the bridge and no one else could get to him?"

"I-I squeezed through and saved him." He said quietly.

You leaned over and squeezed his arm, giving him a small smile. At this point, you could see that Peter caught on to what you were doing.

"And what do all three of those things have in common?"

He sighed. "I faced my fears."

"Yeah you did," your voice was softer now. "And look at that, you're still alive, Pete." He looked up at you. "You were scared, but you did it anyway. You did the hard thing and made it through."

"You know you would have been the one getting near that spider if you were there." He smiled and you chuckled.

"But I wasn't. You were brave enough to do it yourself. That's all that needs to happen again. You need to work up enough nerve to talk to MJ."

"But what if she doesn't—"

"Peter, what's worse: being under a bus that's gradually crushing a person and could have potentially killed you, or talking to someone about your feelings?"

"Talking?" He tried, a nervous grin appearing on his face as he inched away from the range of your foot.

"You won't die if you talk to her, you dork." You shook your head. "The worst that could happen would be she wouldn't know how to respond. But this is Michelle Jones we're talking about. She has an answer to everything."

"But what if she doesn't like me?"

This was probably the millionth time you heard that question come from Peter, but instead of getting annoyed, you just moved until you were sitting next to him, hugging into his side reassuringly.

"Peter, trust me. That won't happen. You just need to put it out there and then everything will fall into place."

"You really think she likes me?" He tilted his head to rest on top of yours and you clasped his hand.

"I really do." You tell him honestly. "You two are perfect for each other."

"You really think so?" You could hear the smile in his voice without even having to look up, and it brought one of your own to your face.

"Yes, Peter."

"But what about you?"

Confused, you sat up and turned to look at Peter. "What about me?" This wasn't about you.

"Wouldn't you miss me? The Single Club would be down a member." He grinned, and this time, he was on the recieving end of a glare.

"Shut up about The Single Club, I will be perfectly fine by myself." You scoffed. " _You_ need to go secure the girl of your dreams."

"Only if you're there with me."

"Peter—"

"I'll only do it if you're in the room."

You rolled your eyes. "Fine. But I choose when then."

"What? No—"

"Uhm, how about Friday?"

"Y/N!" Peter scrambled to turn towards you, his eyes wide. "I didn't say you could pick _when_ —"

"My conditions if you want me there with you." You smirked. "This Friday, after Decathlon meet. That gives you a day and a half to prepare. I will be in the room, but no less than seven feet away from you. My presence will have to suffice, because this has to be all _you_."

"You — ...fine." Peter grumbled, falling into the couch with his arms crossed.

"Good." You grinned.

"I wish I could say I hate you."

"But you can't, 'cause you love me." You stated happily. "Now move your arm because you're really warm and I want cuddles."

"I don't remember signing up to be your personal heater."

"Nah, that spider did for you." You laughed as you tucked yourself under his arm and Peter hugged you as he opened his backpack and pulled out his homework. "Now, let's go over what you're going to say to her. I know you're going to need practice."

Peter was quiet for a minute, and it made you curious. Looking up, you saw him smiling gratefully at you.

"Thank you, Y/N."

"What are friends for?" You smiled back, happy that you were finally going to see Peter the happiest he would be since before The Blip. You knew Michelle would be one of the best things for him. They had a connection you had only seen in movies until now. "So...do you want me to pretend to be MJ or something?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Platonic intimate relationships are everything and I love writing them so much I need to do it more


	48. Promise Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this just oozed out of me and I love it so much 
> 
> (the bold letters are from the prompt request)

  
You never thought you would ever feed into movie clichés, but here you were, standing behind Peter's apartment building, tossing small rocks at his bedroom window.

You searched in the street lamp lit dark, trying to find more ammunition. With three pebbles in the palm of your hand, you began to throw again. Intent on not carrying on with your plans unless you had the boy with you.

You heard the clink as the rock hit the glass again, and this time, you thought you saw movement from the seventh floor.

Throwing again, a grin spread across your lips as you saw the blind go up.

One last time, knowing you got his attention, you binged the rock off the window. A couple seconds after, the window lifted, and Peter stuck his head out to search the ground.

When he saw you, his emotions quickly flipped from tired to surprise to happy to annoyed and back to tired.

"Y/N? What are you doing?"

"Kidnapping you," you joked, calling up to him. "Put a shirt on and get down here!"

"It's three in the morning!"

"On a Saturday!" You countered. "I'll bring you back before May wakes up, if that's what you're worried about."

"Where are we going tonight?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. Come on!"

Peter paused and seemed to think about it. You knew he knew you weren't going to give up too easily, and that his best bet would be to just go with you like always. Besides, you knew Peter's curiosity would compel him to climb down anyway, if he thought the two of you were going anywhere else. The chances he was going to shut down your offer to take him away were low.

"I'll climb up if you'd rather me be up there with you."

"No!" Peter's response was almost immediately. "Just-just give me a sec." He disappeared for a moment before coming back to the window. "Do I need...?"

"Nah. Unless you want to bring it." You tell him, shrugging.

You heard a soft okay before he left your sight again. After soft crash, probably much louder up there, and a muffled curse, Peter was back at his bedroom window. He searched the perimeter again for anyone else before he climbed out of the window.

You bounced on your heels as you watched him scale down, hopping to the ground and jogging to meet you. You immediately grabbed his hand, and Peter chuckled lightly as you didn't even give him a second before you were pulling the two of you back towards the gate.

"I'm tagging along now, can you tell me where we're going?" He yawned. "It's not anywhere where I need to change out of my pj's, right?" You glanced back to see Peter look over your casual outfit. You hadn't actually changed from what you wore earlier that day.

"No, you and your Thor pajamas pants will be perfectly fine." You teased, squeezing his hand and pulling him forward so the two of you were walking side by side instead of you dragging him along. "I just want to hang out with you."

"At three in the morning?" Peter groaned, his face falling flat.

"Shut up. You were probably awake tinkering with your suit or playing video games or something anyway." Peter grumbled something under his breath. "Besides, **you can't really blame me, can you?** " You asked. "We barely see each other anymore now that you suddenly got big and powerful and decided to dress up as a human spider and fight crime in New York."

"Don't say it like that," Peter sighed, but he started to swing your intertwined hands between your bodies. "You make it sound so much more crazy than it really is."

"Pete, it is crazy," you scoffed, nudging him so he would turn right. "Seriously, think about it. You were small and weak and needed glasses and then one field trip later, _boom_! Muscles and abs galore!"

"I think you're overexaggerating." Peter frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "I wasn't _that_ bad. You're making me sound like Steve Rogers before he got the serum that made him into Captain America."

"Uh, last I knew, a year ago you _were_ like a 90 pound asthmatic that was almost a head shorter than me. And you needed glasses! So, I see more similarities than differences. You have no foot to argue on here, _Spider-Man._ "

Peter just stuck his tongue out at you and you chuckled, content with your random small victory. "Promise to have fun when we get there instead of bringing up the time every three minutes?"

"Maybe if you tell me where we're going,"

"Breaking into the park. Duh." You laughed, guesturing for Peter to follow you after you hopped the fence. It wasn't that tall, anyway. Just put there to make it look pretty. You didn't care that technically the park closed at dusk, but dawn was coming soon enough.

Peter just sighed, but he quickly followed you. The amount of times the both of you snuck out together to come here taking over and putting the both of you on autopilot as you made your way to the spot on the small hill in the park, away from the main area.

The both of you sat down on the grass, and you smiled as Peter pulled you into his side in one fluid motion.

"You could have just told me we were coming here, you know."

"Where's the fun in that?" You questioned, leaning your head against his shoulder as Peter squirmed to get comfortable on his back.

The both of you went quiet and took deep breaths, falling into a comfortable silence, fingers still laced together.

You hated that the times you wanted to spend with Peter had to be like this, but you took what you could get. The both of you used to sneak out just for the fun of it, the thrill of being rebellious teenagers, but now with Peter's part-time superhero gig gradually taking up more and more of his time, the sneaking out became more of a necessity if you wanted to spend time with him.

You didn't do it often, knowing that being a superhero and all that took a lot out of Peter. Even if he didn't fight anyone, swinging around a city as large of New York still took enough energy out of him. Not to mention just how stressful high school is on top of it. You liked to act like you were a bit of a bad influence to Peter's goody two shoes, but in reality, you just wanted to see him.

"I'm sorry," Peter whispered after a couple of minutes, his thumb rubbing against the back of your hand.

"You know it's fine Pete. I don't want to stop you from doing what you want."

"But I'm sure you'd rather be sleeping now too."

"Ha. Sleep." You snorted, earning a soft glare from the boy next to you, but it disappeared quickly when you gently kissed his shoulder. "If you want to go back, we can." You tell him honestly. "You probably need it more than I do."

"No, today was slow. Or well, Friday was." He corrected.

"Hey, no one likes people like that." You playfully tell him.

"Shut up." He shook his head, pressing his lips to the top of your head.

You shut your eyes and just told yourself to enjoy him while you had him there next to you. It wasn't often anymore. It sucked, how so much changed in just a year. The both of you getting put into opposite schedule classes in school didn't help either. Suddenly, the distance the both of you lived from each other seemed like hundreds of miles, the both of you had perfected the near touch in the school halls, and secret keeping had became something you were now a pro at.

"So," you began, "no new stories?"

"Not really." Peter answered. "What about you?"

You shrugged. "Boring day filled with annoying people I'd rather avoid. You sure that spider's dead? I'd let it bite me so I could be your Spider partner."

"Yes I'm sure." Peter chuckled before frowning. "But you already know I don't want you fighting with me. So stop trying to come up with ways to give yourself superpowers."

"I'm just saying, if it'd give me more time to spend with you, I wouldn't care what kind of power I had." You sighed. "But I know. I guess I'll just have to keep waking you up at three AM and bringing you here."

"I complain, but you know I love it. I'd rather spend time with you than none at all." Peter admitted softly.

"I know." You said, snuggling into his side as the both of you looked up, trying to see past the smog of the city to the stars behind it.

The both of you liked to imagine that nothing in the world was wrong whenever you layed there together. No deadlines, no stress or anxiety. No evil or oncoming threats. It was only you and Peter, like it had been before when the both of you were just kids and blissfully unaware of anything other than the fact that you loved each other more than anything in the world and never wanted to leave each other's side.

Whatever Peter went through, you were right there next to him and vice versa. Through thick and thin. And even though now was one of those thin times, you knew you would never let go of Peter's hand. That the both of you would always find a way to keep your bond strong and no matter what got thrown, the two of you would find a way to slingshot it back and find a way back to normal. Or whatever the new normal was.

"Promise me something?" Peter broke the silence again.

"Hm?" You glanced up, opening your eyes.

A small smile spread across your lips as Peter turned to face you, his hand pushing back your hair. You would've froze that moment if you could; just you and Peter completely alone in the closest thing to nature you could get in the middle of Queens, the sun rising just behind the boy you were lying across from. It felt so perfect.

"Stay with me?"

"Of course." You answered with a short laugh, a little confused. "You'd be crazy if you ever thought I'd leave."

"No Y/N, I mean stay with me." He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something else, but the look of hesitation briefly crossed his face.

Your breath hitched for a moment as you realized what he was trying to say. You knew he didn't want to mess anything up or force something that wasn't there, but the both of you knew that could never happen.

"Okay Peter," you whispered. "I promise."

A relieved smile stretched across his lips and Peter closed his eyes as you snaked your arm around him and started playing with the golden brown curls on the back of his head.

"May's going to be up soon, if you wanna leave."

"No." He said softly, securing his grip on you. "She'll know where we are. Just stay. You promised."

"In more ways than one." You laughed lightly. "I always will."


	49. What Hurts The Most

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idea sprung from the prompt "I wasn't ready to say goodbye." 
> 
> Warning(s): 3k pile of Angst. A lot of it. Just prepare yourselves. It's... please tread carefully.

Your alarm had gone off twenty minutes ago, but you were still lying in your bed, unmoving.

You hadn't gone back to sleep, no. It was another bad day. A day where the past did nothing but haunt you. A day when your thoughts drifted back to the horrors of five years ago. A day where you mourned for what was and what could have been. You weren't closing your eyes anytime soon. It would only make things worse.

Days like this brought you back to the beginning of what everyone thought was the end. It completely numbed you.

You weren't sure why it affected you more than most just as much as you knew why. Just like the hundreds of thousands of people in New York alone, you lost. You lost your family. Your friends. Your...

Being admitted into the foster care system at sixteen was the second hardest thing you had to live through. The world was a wreck. No one knew exactly what had happened. Just that for the first time, the Avengers couldn't save them.

No one had wanted you. You bounced from foster home to foster home, but like most kids old enough to understand what had happened to the world, to feel the heavy weight of grief, you had a lot of baggage. Still do. And you're not sure you'll ever completely recover.

You had watched as your entire family disappeared right in front of you. Turned to dust in merely a blink. You had desperately called Peter Parker one last time. And through tear filled eyes, you prayed his aunt would pick up the phone.

They never did.

In that moment, you knew you were truly alone. Left to cry in your empty apartment, the only sign you weren't the only one left in the world the sounds of anguish distant around you. From the other survivors.

You grew up closed off and distant. You couldn't move on, like a lot of kids could. Not in this world, where everyone close to you was gone. None of your family had survived. None of your friends. And according to the news, the Avengers themselves — the ones that came back, that is — were radio silent, having given up. School became your crutch. Something to completely take up your focus. Because if you weren't doing something, all you felt was pain.

This morning was just a remnant of the hurt you tried so hard to work through these last five years, but it was enough to kill any sort of positive feeling you could have possibly had.

You were quiet as you sat up. You could only hear the traffic outside. A sign that the world had adapted. Gone back to normal — or at least as close as normal as it could be. Today, you were a piece of the past. The memories of that day brought forth fresh as if they just happened yesterday.

You were glad that you had laid instead of getting up. It gave you an excuse to panic; to rush to get ready so you wouldn't be late. It distracted your brain.

You tried to ignore the mirror as you searched for your car keys. You really did. On days like this, you hated seeing yourself. To see the reflection of adult you had become.

Your hair was wet from the shower you had taken, but other than that, you looked just as any other person in their early twenties would. Young. Still able to pass as a teen, if you wanted to try. But it was your eyes that gave it away.

The light was gone. The spark of hope that was naturally instilled in every human at birth wasn't there anymore. Your eyes betrayed you, showing just how haunted you really were. Filled with sadness and regret and guilt. One look, and anyone could tell just how much you went through. The bags underneath that hadn't left since you were sixteen completed the look. And today, it was amplified. The downward pull of your face settling in, and you making no attempt to get rid of it.

You used to love Saturday mornings. The beginning of the weekend. They used to be spent filled with wonder. Filled with adventures and quality time, ranging from eating breakfast in bed as you caught up on your favorite shows to hanging out with MJ and Harry at the park to swinging through New York City with Spider-Man, laughing and screaming from the thrill of being weightless as Peter laughed with you, holding on tightly before the two of you would sit on a rooftop and talk and kiss through the night.

Now, Saturdays were filled with work. You had packed your college classes as much as your major and minor would allow, but you still had too much free time. Your weekends were spent working in fast food. It was the only job where you knew there would be constant tasks to do. No time for your mind to wander. You were able to focus on one thing, and that thing only. You were even grateful bartering with unhappy and rude customers.

You knew it was an unhealthy way to live. To drown yourself in work and stress. But for five years, it helped you keep on living. More than you would like to admit, you thought about if it would just be easier to get rid of your problems rather than to live through them. And while you never actually found a complete solution, the partial one kept you alive long enough to see your twenty-first birthday. It was a plastic bubble with you on the inside, keeping you afloat on a stormy sea of emotion. It was protecting you, but you also knew just how close it was from cracking and letting the water flood in. Slowly, your bubble had begun to fortify, but on days like this, days like today, you knew it was weaker.

The cold bite of the oncoming winter wind hit your face as you stepped outside into the October morning. The air chilled you to the bone, raising goosebumps and making you shiver. You rushed to get to your car. You couldn't deal with the cold. Not today. Not when you were feeling like this.

You swallowed hardly as you turned your key in the ignition. It took a few attempts before the engine roared to life, but eventually you merged into traffic. The movement helped to pull you from your current mindset.

Soon enough you were at work. A few of your coworkers shared empathetic looks, but said nothing as you passed them by. The familiar sounds of oil crackling and machines whirring and peoples voices as they ordered food surrounding you. It didn't take long before the restaurant got busy, which was the best thing that could have happened for you.

The fast pace helped keep you distracted, but since today you were reliving, time moved slower; minutes feeling like hours.

It wasn't until your boss placed a careful hand on your shoulder and commanded you to take a break that you realized that you weren't holding up as well as you thought you were.

For some reason, today felt different. Felt worse. Like something horrible was about to happen, and like last time, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

You didn't know why, but something was clenching at your gut like a fist, like some part deep inside you knew something was about to happen and was trying to warn you. To prepare you.You were scared as you stood in the locked bathroom. Trying to calm down your rapid breaths.

You hadn't broken down in a long time. You were proud of that. A sign that maybe you were moving farther from the past. That maybe you were finally going to move on.

But as the sound of your heart pounded in your ears, and it was getting harder to breath, you knew your streak was about to be broken.

Tears falling down, you stared down at the sink your hands were clutching, arms shaking and knuckles white. You needed to keep your eyes down, because if you looked up...you didn't know what you would do if you saw yourself in this moment. You just knew that you needed to stay standing. You needed to calm down. Compose yourself. Get back to work. Work would help. It had too.

You couldn't have looked pretty as you left the employee bathroom, but no one said a thing. The feeling in your gut was still there, but you cooked to try and ignore it, repeating and memorizing orders in your head so you would have something to go over.

Your hands were still shaking as you pulled the basket of fries up from the hot oil, but not nearly as bad as they were before. You turned to put them in the warmer when suddenly there was a person you didn't recognize next to you.

Your scream didn't come out, but you dropped the scorching fries to the floor. Residue oil splattered onto your pants leg and seeped through the fabric, making you hiss in pain and stumble backwards right into another person that wasn't there before either.

As if you were the start of a chain reaction, yelps and screams of surprise filled your ears. Looking around, you saw that these people were no one you had ever seen before, but they were wearing the same uniform as you. Like they had worked there. They looked just as confused as you were, staring in a stunned silence.

You couldn't move for a moment. Questions filled the air, from in front and behind the counter.

Your manager emerged from the back room to find the cause of all the commotion, when her eyes widened at the sight.

"Chloe?" You heard her ask, staring straight at the girl you stumbled into. The one you didn't recognize. "How are you — you- you're back!"

Time seemed to slow even more as you processed what those words meant. What they _really_ meant. Chloe had never been someone you worked with, but she had worked there. Five years ago. Now she was back. The other person was back. And as you looked out into the rest of the restaurant, you noticed it become twice as crowded.

They were back. They were all back.

For the first time in five years, your mind was completely blank as you stumbled out of the door, having pushed through the thick crowd of confused people.

You barely breathed as you shouted at your car to start, but cursed when you realized the roads were a wreck. Not knowing what else to do, you ran.

The key to the apartment in Jackson Heights you lived in five years ago still hung on your keychain — you never gave it back, trying to hold on to some part of the past — and you struggled to fit it through the keyhole before you burst in through the front door.

The apartment was empty, having been unrented for a while. But there in the center of the room, your family stood. Right where the couch would have been. Where they last were as the group of you had been huddled around the news, waiting for the return of Iron Man and Spider-Man after everyone had seen them board that alien spaceship.

Your mother was holding the landline to her ear when your family had turned to see you — who they must've thought was an intruder. Suddenly, your phone rang in your bag, and with wide eyes, your parents stared at their stranger of a child.

They didn't ask questions, seeing the tears in your eyes, and instead pulled you into a hug, knowing that an explanation would come in due time.

You didn't understand. You couldn't believe. But somehow, they were back. Somehow, they were alive. Like nothing more than a blink had passed for them while you spent five years in Hell.

Telling them what happened was hard. No one knew for sure what had actually happened, just that half of the world's population disappeared into nothing more than a pile of ashes. Not just the humans, all life. Animals. Plants. Half were gone, and only half survived. That they had been gone for five years, that they had been dead.

But now you know they really weren't. They never were. Just...trapped somewhere. Suspended in time.

You didn't want to leave your family, but after a few hours, you couldn't stay. You needed to see who else came back.

Your knocks were needy as you raced through Queens. Your breath nearly leaving you again as May Parker opened the door. To her, nothing had changed. Tony Stark had made sure the apartment stayed untouched when he came back. Holding on to one last shred just like you had.

May hadn't aged a day, just like your family hadn't. The first sign that something had happened was when she took in your appearance. Ragged no doubt, but also older.

Her palm pressed against your cheek, and you had to assure her it was really you as the both of you started to cry. You didn't need to ask why. It was for the same reason.

People were reuniting everywhere. Your family had come to meet you in the Parkers' apartment as you and May sat in wait, holding onto each other as the both of you stared at the door. No one needed to ask why; they all knew.

Four hours had passed before the doorknob had turned, and someone stepped through. You and May stood up faster than a bullet from a gun.

Peter's eyes were already red and brimmed with tears as he looked up to see you and May.

Everyone was silent and still, no one even daring to move.

It even felt like your heart had stopped beating in your chest. Breaking into millions of tiny pieces all over again as you watched Peter hug his aunt. But this time it wasn't because he had been gone, but because you didn't go with him.

By the time Peter had made his way to you, it was hard to see through your tears. Peter Parker was still the sixteen year old boy you had known for years and fell in love with. But that was the thing: he was sixteen. He wasn't the one who lived an extra five years.

You felt his tears roll down your skin as you clung to him like he was going to disappear again. You were leaving stains of your own, but you had to focus on the fact that he was here. _Peter was here._ He felt the same. Sounded the same. _He was alive._

He trembled in your arms and you had to summon all your willpower to prevent you from kissing him. The urge wanting to be a final proof that he really was there. But you couldn't. Not anymore.

"It's okay." Peter whispered shakily. The lie was blatant, but a comfort to the both of you nonetheless.

You squeezed him tighter, gasping into his shoulder as you kept your eyes screwed shut. You never wanted to let him go again, as selfish as it seemed. You wanted to pretend these last five years were a horrible nightmare you were trapped in. And Peter coming back was you waking up. That the second you opened your eyes, you would be back on the school bus heading to MoMa. You would catch Peter's eyes from where he would glance back to where you were seated behind him.

But when the lively chattering of teens didn't come back, when you couldn't feel the bumps of the bus bouncing underneath you, you knew this was the reality you really were in; that you had lived through.

Now, when you pulled away from Peter, you realized you had nothing in common anymore. There was no way the two of you could ever go back to normal. There was no more normal.

You searched for something, anything, in his eyes. The chocolate eyes you used to always get lost in, the eyes that used to wash warmth over you, the eyes that you could never get sick of looking at. But as you stared, to your horror, all you saw were a mirror of your own.

" **I wasn't ready** **to** **say goodbye."** You sobbed, lightly pushing him away. "I never got to say goodbye." You distanced yourself from the boy, as much as every fiber of you protested doing so.

"I'm here now," You knew his heart was just as broken as his voice. You knew Peter knew exactly what was going to happen. What _couldn't_ happen. "It's okay." he repeated, his voice wavering.

You shook your head, more tears falling from your eyes, and a conflicting smile flashed across your lips as they trembled.

Right now, you weren't sure if everyone coming back was for the better or the worst. Because at the moment, you were hurting more than you ever had in the entirety of the last five years.

It wasn't like those years could be erased. Like everything could go back to normal now that everyone was back. You didn't know if you were one of the lucky ones or not, but what you did know was that Peter wasn't yours anymore. He hadn't been for the last five years, and he wouldn't be for at least another five if somehow your relationship could be saved.

Nothing would ever be okay. You would have to start the process of moving on all over again. You didn't want to think about how it was in Peter's brain. To him, the two of you had been together just yesterday. Now here you were, five years older than him and your relationship shattered nearly to the point beyond repair.

Now, you would have to say goodbye all over again. Only this time, Peter would be there to watch you disappear.   
********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully everyone is okay after that


	50. Peach Scone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's the 50th Chapter! In my book, that's a milestone. Originally, I was going to have this be one of the multiple unplanned sequels, but then I didn't want it to seem any more special than any of the other ones, since I've been pretty excited about reaching 50 chapters. So instead, as the title states, I'm writing the first song fic of this book. The chapter is heavily inspired by the song Peach Scone by Hobo Johnson, although I've definitely changed a few things to better accommodate the idea I had. Writing song fics have been circulating in my brain for a while now, and I would love to write more because a lot of songs can tell really good stories.

  
Peter Parker was a big fan of believing he could learn something new every day. Because most days he did. Like how in the battle he just came from, he learned not to taunt Lizard _too_ much because the dude would most definitely not hesitate to stab a claw through his side.

Sneaking into a hospital as Spider-Man might not have been the best idea, but Peter was trying to keep his blood _inside_ his body where it belonged and he wouldn't be able to do that without help. While he was pretty good at hiding most injuries from his aunt May- having spent a moderate amount of time poring over her medical books in the dark-even Peter was having trouble stopping the three puncture wounds on his side from bleeding out on his own. 

He did wonder whether he would have been better off at least attempting to fix himself up on his own after he nearly gave his aunt two subsequent heart attacks - the first being when he had called her in a rush telling her to find an empty room and open the widow for him without telling her why and sounding like he was on the brink of death, and the second being when she saw the damage that had been done to her nephew and the pain he was in - followed closely after by the most worried induced lecture he had ever received in his life. 

It had been worth it though, because not only did May clean him up and give him perfect stitches, but she gave him _numbing medicine_ which was sure as a hell lot better than when Peter propped himself up in their apartment bathroom and sewed himself back together with the emergency first aid kit needle and wire with only the bathroom mirror to aid him. Definitely saved him the majority of the winces and grimaces of pain and the trouble of having to clean up blood on the bathroom sink before May woke up and found the mess.

He definitely had to thank his superhero of an aunt once they both got back home. Maybe he'd make her something to eat too. 

Peter pulled his shirt over his head after inspecting the bandage on his side. He could feel the wounds were already healing nicely courtesy of his freaky spider healing and they hurt a substantial amount less than before. He could walk around without any pain, and that was good for blending in without arousing any suspicion that someone such as himself - a dorky teenage boy - could be anyone more than that even if it was true. 

He was also grateful for the emergency outfits May had stashed in her car so he wouldn't be roaming the hospital in nothing but his blue checkered boxers. 

Peter collapsed into the waiting room chair with a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut for some kind of relief from the blinking white lights and he pushed his hair away from his face. 

He knew he shouldn't be waiting too long. May was almost done with her shift for the night, and then they were going straight home, probably going to snack on something, then to bed since it was nearing eleven P.M. They were both exhausted for their separate reasons, and Peter knew he was looking forward to sleeping in as much as he could Sunday morning.

Opening his eyes, Peter's eyes swept the room as he tried to think of something for him to pass the time while he waited. 

He spotted you standing at the check in counter, and noticed you seemed a little out of place. You looked about his age, but you were wearing a pair of scrubs. Not the light blue the rest of the nurses in the hospital wore, but in an off white-ish cream color, with the QHC badge hanging off your hip. 

You were engaging in a friendly conversation with the lady behind the counter low enough for anyone to not be able to pick up on what youbwere saying. Peter leaned forward and convinced himself it was his super hearing that picked up on the words you were saying and not the fact that he sort of wanted to eavesdrop because you were really pretty and he wasn't able to take his eyes off you once you smiled and laughed at something. 

It was weird, this random stranger causing him to smile just at the sight of one on their own face. That hadn't happened often in his life, and after four more seconds of staring, Peter came quickly to the conclusion that he was forming a crush on the attractive not-but-is-nurse standing a handful of feet away from him. 

The sound of a kid crying is what ultimately tore his eyes away from you and toward the waiting room door. Soon enough, the door opened to reveal an upset young boy with a red face from crying, struggling to walk in the opposite direction from the adult that was holding his hand. 

"Aiden honey, we need to wait right here for mommy, or else we won't be able to see her," the woman plead to her boy, crouching down. 

Peter saw your eyes flicker around the room and look at how basically all of its inhabitants were paying attention to her and her crying son. The woman had tear streaks down her cheeks too, but she was a lot more strong. Peter sent her a sympathetic look, knowing that her wife was probably going through something she really needed medical attention for - maybe surgery - and they wouldn't be able to accompany her until it was over. 

Peter wished he could get people to stop staring. He knew how it felt to be judged, and it was horrible. He patted his pockets, hoping that maybe his spare jeans would have some kind of cash and he could buy the boy a drink or a small toy from the vending machines to help calm him down, but he turned up empty. 

A figure crossed his line of vision again, and Peter realized it was you making your way to the woman and her son. He watched intently as you crouched down to the boys level next to his mom and looked at him with a smile. 

"Hello," you said softly, "my name's Y/N. What's yours?" 

The boy was taking hiccuping breaths too erratic to actually answer, so his mom did for him once she spotted the badge at your hip. 

"I know someone named Aiden!" You gasped, grabbing the small boys attention. 

"You-you do?" 

"Yeah I do. He's the most brave person I know." You grinned. "Some might call him a hero. Do you wanna know why?" The boy nodded, his sobs dying down to a soft sniffling. "The Aiden I know is a tough guy, but he's also very funny, and cares a lot about his friends and family and would do anything to help them and keep them safe." 

"What did he do?" The boy asked, getting closer to being calm as his attention focused on you and your story.

At this point, his mom was smiling gratefully at the you - Y/N. "Well, once, he defeated an evil wizard from trying to take over the world with nothing but a flute." 

"Really?!" He gasped. 

" _Really._ " You said with a large smile that made Peter shake his head with a light chuckle and in a tone that even made him almost believe you. "He even went to outer space and fought back aliens before they could attack Earth!" 

"Does he have a X-Wing?" Aiden asked excitedly, sitting on the edge of his seat and waiting impatiently for an answer. 

"Lemme tell you a secret," you whispered, making the boy eagerly lean closer. "He's a part of The Resistance." 

"No way!" Aiden clamped a hand over his mouth, failing to hide a giggle. "How do you know that?"

"Because I am too." You told him, and the shine in his eyes brightened from something other than drying tears. "You can't tell anyone though!" You said, your voice still lowered. "They're working on a very _very_ top secret mission right now. A way to take down The Empire from the inside." 

"I promise!" 

"Y/N?" Peter turned his head just as you did when a new voice called your name. You said a quick goodbye to Aiden, and hurried over to the doctor that wanted your attention. 

Peter still had a small smile on his face as he told himself to stop staring and instead looked down at his hands. His heart had swelled from what he'd just seen, you distracting Aiden from the news that was breaking his young heart when you could have just as easily ignored him like everyone else was and let his mom try to get him to calm down herself. 

There just wasn't many good-hearted people like that that Peter ran into. Especially not ones his age that worked st the same hospital his aunt did. If that wasn't a sign telling him something, he wasn't sure what was.

Yeah. He definitely had a crush.

Perfectly normal.

Right?

Peter suddenly heard his thoughts in his head telling him to go up and talk to you, watching as you said 'thank you' to that doctor and began to look at the clipboard he handed you, leaning up against the wall. But since Peter knew his brain because well...it was his brain, he also knew that he wasn't the best with words or getting anyone he was interested in. So it was a real struggle trying to figure out the best way to introduce himself to you without completely embarrassing himself. 

Five minutes passed, and Peter was afraid your job would have you leave the waiting room. The longer he waited, the more chance either you would leave or Aunt May would clock out and _he_ would leave. 

_What would Spider-Man do?_ Was a question Peter asked himself, ultimately getting no answer. Spider-Man was confident, but even that version of himself didn't try to flirt with people.

Maybe he was looking at this all wrong. He wasn't trying to flirt with you, he was just trying to introduce himself. Maybe if he thought about this as trying to make a new friend - which he technically was - then hypothetically it could be easier. 

Whenever he became friends with someone, he found a common interest and started talking that way. So what common interest did he have with you? 

He thought back to just a couple minutes ago when you was talking to Aiden. Star Wars was definitely the angle to play here. He loved Star Wars. 

Before Peter's brain could throw more doubt into his head, he pushed himself up and with every step he found himself nearing you, nervous butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. 

He to himself it wasn't a big deal. _She's just a_ _pretty_ _girl._

"H-hi." Wow. Peter's voice was so soft even he could barely hear himself. He didn't want to clear his throat, especially because he was only standing an arms length away from you, who hadn't yet noticed him yet, so he tried again. "Hi." Okay, this time he was audible. You looked up. "I'm-I'm Peter." He gulped, holding out his hand. 

"Hi Peter," you tilted her head and stared at him curiously. What did he look like? Was he pale? Probably. He'd lost a decent amount of blood earlier, and now he was facing someone that could potentially be the one of his dreams. "I'm Y/N." 

"I know that." He blurted, his eyes widening and immediately wishing he could take it back because it _did not_ sound the way he meant it too. "I mean- your badge! It has your name." At least he didn't accidently spill that he could hear you say it because of the radioactive venom coursing through his veins that gave him superpowers. That would have been _horrible._

"You know what?" Peter said in a small voice after you just stared at him without saying anything, just a small, perhaps amused, perfect smile on your lips. 

Peter did not need to be caught staring at your lips. 

"I'm sorry? I'll just - I'll just go." He pointed behind him back to the seat he was sitting in. 

"No, no. It's fine." You laughed lightly. "I'm not good with talking to people either. Did you need something?" 

"Oh. No. I just...I wanted to say that I thought it was pretty awesome how you helped Aiden and his mom like that." Your smile widened and Peter found himself unable to control the words coming out of his mouth. "And-and that you're also real-really pretty...too."

So much for embarrassing himself. Peter went silent, realizing that his opening conversation, his _introduction,_ he called you pretty. _W_ _ay to go._ Was it too late to blame it on the numbing medication?

"Thank you." You chuckled shyly while Peter stood, thinking that he had already messed up and you were about to label him a creep. So when he heard you laugh, it gave him a little hope that maybe he hadn't entirely messed up. "My boyfriend thinks so too. Not 100% sure I agree though," you said casually, glancing at the sheet of paper back to Peter.

Those 2.5 seconds of hope? Squashed. Like a spider under a newspaper.

Peter wasn't just embarrassed, he was mortified. _Of course_ you would have a boyfriend. If someone like you didn't, it would be a crime.

He shouldn't have gotten up to talk to you. May would yell at him about tearing his stitches if she found him up and walking about.

He felt so stupid. Figures, the first person he felt himself crushing on for the first time in a long time would be taken, and he would make himself just seem like a desperate teenage boy. Well, maybe he didn't look exactly desperate. Yet.

He really should have just walked away.

"O-oh!" Peter stammered, continuing to talk instead of ending the conversation. "Well, he seems very lucky. You seem really cool. Only really cool people like Star Wars. That's the reason I came over to talk anyway. About Star Wars."

"Really?" You raised an eyebrow at his excuse of a reason and Peter couldn't tell if you bought it or not. He wouldn't have.

"Yeah, of course!" He shrugged, trying to summon up some of his Spider-Man confidence to convince you he was telling the truth. "I mean Star Wars is awesome, so _you_ must be awesome and I wanted to talk about that awesomeness...together?"

Why the hell was he still trying? Peter didn't know. He knew he was being stupid. There was no point in trying to be friends with someone he had a crush on. Not when she was already dating someone else. Chances were it would only end in heartbreak. 

"I could always use a Star Wars buddy." You tucked your clipboard under your arm and stared at Peter, a friendly smile still on your face.

That was a surprise. "What?" Peter asked, sounding small again.

"I'm really the only person I know who has an interest in it." You chuckled. "It would be nice to talk to someone face to face about what happens in canon."

Peter was functioning on zero brain cells.

"What about — what about your boyfriend?"

"He's not all that into science fiction," you shrugged, obviously not realizing that wasn't what Peter was asking. He wanted to know if your boyfriend was the jealous type and if he should just leave you alone so he wouldn't potentially ruin a relationship even by accident. "Hey man, it's okay," you laughed, and Peter realized that his worry was probably showing on his face. "We don't have to be friends. But I'm just saying, _you_ were the one to come up to _me_."

"You...you want to be friends?"

"Like you said: only awesome people watch Star Wars. I need more awesome people in my life."

"I..." Peter was unsure at first, but then a grin broke out on his face. "Y-yeah. Let's be friends."

* * *

Peter's phone buzzed on his bed next to him, making him nearly stab his hand with the tweezers he was using to mess with the wiring in his suit. 

But when he saw it was a message from you, he immediately forgot everything and picked it up to answer back. 

**(1) New Message: My Best Girl ❤**

He seriously needed to change your contact before someone thought the two of you were dating. 

Maybe later.

**How many Avengers does** **it** **take to change a** **light bulb** **?**

_Oh, so we're doing this again_

**Answer the question dork**

_Isn't_ _this_ _supposed to be a joke?_

**Yeah, and you're ruining it!**   
**😭😭😭**

_Okay, okay_

_I don't know_

_How many?_

**None.**

**Because do you really** **think** **there's a single light bulb in that** **insane** **tower?** **I mean, Tony** **freaking** **Stark owns the place and probably designed everything in it**

_I hate to break_ _it_ _to_ _ya_

_But that's not that funny_

**Excuse me???**

**That's the** **pinnacle** **of hilarity!**

**You just ruined the punchline, man**

_Did I though??_

**...**

**Okay it's** **not** **that funny**

**I'm sleep deprived Peter, you can't blame me**

_Why are you sending me_ _poorly_ _thought_ _out_ _jokes_ _when_ _you're sleep_ _deprived_ _then?_

_I totally can blame you_

_Get some sleep, Y/N_

**In my defense, 3 am me** **thought** **it was absolutely shucking hilarious**

**Stop being so mean I thought you loved me Peter**

If Peter wasn't alone, he would have no excuse as to why he suddenly held his breath after letting out a definitely manly squeak while his heart pounded in his chest. 

He was reading way too much into that word.

You didn't mean it.

Not in the way he would have. 

Him and you were friends. And he supported her still going relationship with Connor. They were friends. 

Luckily, he only froze for a couple of seconds before he gathered his bearings again, going back to the conversation like he just hadn't had his heart prepared to jump out of his chest at one probably thoughtlessly typed out word. 

_I do but_ _idk_ _why_ _you_ _think you can_ _outdork_ _me_

**Who says I can't try?**

_You're talking to the person who literally EMBODIES the meaning_ _of_ _a dork_

_And with_ _stupid_ _jokes, no less_

**There are more where that came from.**

**And they only get worse from here.**

_Let_ _em_ _at me_

**I thought they were stupid**

_Nothing coming_ _from_ _you is stupid_

**Aww** **!**

_Only_ _in_ _meaning, okay? That joke was horrible_

**And I thought** **you** **were** **complimenting** **me!**

**Okay, anyway**

**That was** **supposed to segway into asking whether we can move our** **sleepover** **to your place**

_How is that in any way Avengers related?_

**Nvm**

**Anyway...**

_Oh! Yeah that should be fine_

_I'll_ _just double check with May and get back to you_

_Is something wrong?_

Peter didn't like that it took a little bit for you to answer back. That means you hesitated. That means he was right. 

**I just don't want to bother my dad.**

**He's gonna be working a late shift and knowing us, we'll probably be awake by the time he gets back**

**I doubt us laughing and being loud will help him sleep.**

_Oh okay_

_Like_ _I_ _said it should be fine. May loves you_

**Even more so than** **you** **, I've heard**

_Whaaat_ _??_

_From whom????_

**Your** **lovely** **aunt herself 😁**

**We work together, remember?**

_You'd think after 5 months I'd_ _remember_ _that_

_But no_

_I'm hurt, Y/N_

_You hurt me_

**Y** **ou're fine you big baby**

**Just get the movies ready**

**Cuz** **I'm coming ready to marathon**

**And the popcorn**

_I only have chips :(_

**Since your aunt** **loves** **me** **more** **, I'll suffer for you**

_How thoughtful_

**Ikr** **I'm** **the best**

**I'll see you tomorrow Pete**

_You going to sleep?_

**At 9?**

**Ha! You're the funny one tonight**

_Sleep_

**I'll** **see you tomorrow!**

Peter sighed, smiling down at the screen and shaking his head. 

_See you soon_

The screen went dark and Peter put his phone down and picked up the tweezers again. He wanted to finish up and go to sleep, because there was no way he was going to waste any time alone he could get with you. Your spare time? That was all him. 

It was all he could get, anyway.

* * *

One look from May, and Peter knew he got up way too fast when he heard the knock on the front door- having nearly vaulted over the couch. 

He took a deep breath to calm himself, but his grin stayed. Walking normally to the door, he flung it open without checking who was on the other side, already knowing who it was. 

What he wasn't expecting however was for you to not be prepared to meet him. You were standing on the other side of the door, bookbag on your back filled with clothes and toothbrush and other things you needed no doubt, but you were staring at the elevator at the ends of the hall with a look on your face that Peter was fast to recognize as uncertainty before you quickly turned your head to Peter and smiled widely. 

"Hey!" You greeted with what would be your normal enthusiasm, but it sounded off to Peter.

"Hey," he smiled back, stepping back to let you in. "Something on your mind?"

"Hm?" Your smile dipped but not for long. "Nothing other than the fact that you better have my favorite chips for the lack of popcorn."

"What about you suffering for me?" Peter gasped, placing a dramatic hand over his heart.

"You're the one who doesn't have popcorn on a movie night. I think that's a federal crime." You turned to May, who was sitting on the couch reading a book. "Right?"

"Y/N's got a point," May shrugged, pushing up her glasses. "I told you you should have ran to the corner store for kernels, Pete."

"So it's really true." Peter frowned, pretending to cry as you walked to the couch and kissed May's cheek before taking the spot next to her. "You really do love her more!"

"Who said that?" May laughed, sending an accomplice-like wink in your direction, making you laugh.

Peter just grinned. It didn't matter if you were joking, which you probably were, but Peter agreed. He liked you more than he did himself too.

"How about I let you guys get started? I'll finish up with Stephen King and then join in." May stood up, showing how little of her book she had left and gesturing to her room.

"Sounds good." You smiled and Peter nervously nodded his head.

While he jumped at any chance to be alone with you, Peter hated that it was only him and you in the same room. That greatly added to the chances that he might let something slip. Something he wouldn't be able to take back.

"We should get the movies started, right?" You said quickly, hopping up and crouching down in front of the movie shelf.

"I mean, we could always watch something else," Peter offered.

"Nah, it's been a while since I did a full Star Wars marathon." You sent him a smile, but Peter couldn't help but to feel something about it was forced. Something _was_ _wrong_ , he could feel it.

It didn't take long for one of the most iconic theme songs to fill the room, but a silence also fell over that was far from comfortable.

Peter tried to convince himself that he was thinking too much into it. Maybe you were just having a bad day. Then it would be his job to make it better, right? But the thought of 'what if it was more than that?' refused to go away.

But when you started a conversation, Peter felt his concern fading away. He loved it when it was like this. Just the two of you, talking and watching a movie. He felt so natural. He let his guard down, let you have full control of his attention. He completely melted when it came to you. He would do anything for you.

And soon enough, Peter found himself watching you more than the movie itself.

"You've been looking at me the past ten minutes," You grinned, laughing a little. "Is there something you wanna tell me, Pete?"

 _Yes!_ Peter's brain screamed _. A million things!_

It was almost involuntary as he opened his mouth, words ready and willing to spill. "I love-" it wasn't until he said that he realized he couldn't say _that_. He couldn't tell you. Then he would lose you forever. You were already dating someone. He knew that. He shouldn't have continued to get to know you. He shouldn't have fallen for you. "Star Wars!" He blurted instead.

"I think that's pretty well established," you looked at him a little suspiciously, a small smile on your lips.

"Well yeah, but I mean, it's crazy." He thought quickly to lie, sitting up and holding his arm out to the television, trying to fight back the blush he felt was coming with the rush of his blood under his skin. "Star Wars has been around so long, and has gotten so popular. It's like the staple of the Science-Fiction-Space-Fantasy genre, and so many people loved it that it became this huge thing! I mean, ten years after Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars got rebooted! Suddenly, there's this new trilogy of movies, and it brought even more people into the already super big fan base.

"And-and they're still going! Because Rogue One was a spinoff movie. A spinoff! And another one is rumored to be coming out about Han Solo! And that's not counting all of the TV shows, like The Clone Wars and Rebels that had come out before the new movies, and the ones that are supposed to come out in the future!"

Peter chuckled. "I mean, Connor is seriously missing out by not getting into Star Wars, seriously, come on," it wasn't until Peter had stopped talking that he realized your face had fell at the mention of your boyfriend. Suddenly, the pieces started to click in his brain; why you seemed off when you got there. Why you seemed so eager to start watching pretty much right away. You wanted to distract herself from him.

"He just doesn't like it." You said stiffly, turning away from Peter and back towards the screen. He paused, trying to debate if bringing it up was really a topic he should talk about with you.

But then he realized that you're one of his closest friends, and he cared about you, and he cared if you got hurt. Your boyfriend was obviously causing you pain, and he needed to figure out why.

"What's going on?"

"What?"

"Between you and him. Something happened. What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything," you said after a moment. "Not really. It's fine."

"No, you're not yourself today. It's not fine."

You sighed. "We just had a small argument. It's okay, really. All couples do. It's just the first times we've ever disagreed on something. We just need a little bit of time to cool off, then we'll talk it out."

"Oh." Peter didn't know what else to say. Y/N obviously didn't want to talk about it. Did that mean it was serious or the complete opposite? Did he overstep? Should he have pried?

"Let's just- oh shoot, I'm missing my favorite part!"

You turned back to the television, your eyes wide as you payed attention to the movie.

Peter just let it go. He would wait. If you got worse though, he would figure out exactly what you argued with Connor about. Because he didn't want you to change. Especially if it was making you hide things from him. You were always so open with him.

Eyes finding the TV, Peter decided on just making you have the best movie night of your life. And that included him running out to buy some popcorn.

* * *

Feet landing on his bedroom floor, Peter grinned to himself as he was finally home after a pretty productive Spider-Man patrol, if he could say so himself. 

Normally he would go and rant to May about everything he did, but since he had gotten really sidetracked and it was nearing one in the morning, he decided that he would fill in his aunt later. If he didn't get lectured about being out that late and worrying her. Again. 

"Night Karen," Peter sighed to the A.I. before pulling his mask off and flicking on his desk lamp light. 

Unhooking his phone from his belt, he tossed it on his bed along with his mask as he pressed the spider emblem on his chest and let his suit fall down before making his way to his dresser. 

He nearly slammed his hand in a drawer when his phone suddenly went off, making him jump. He figured to let it ring out because it was most likely spam - who would call at 1:00 in the morning? - but when he glanced at the screen anyway, he realized that it wasn't spam at all. 

His screen shone with his contact picture for you - a picture of you caught off guard from when you were studying for your internship test with various medical books and highlighters spread around you. Your hair had been a mess and you were wearing one of his sweatshirts because you had misjudged the weather that day, but it was Peter's favorite picture of you. 

Peter forgot about clothes as he scrambled to answer the call. You've never called him this late. It had to be important. 

"Y/N?" 

He heard a small sniffle from the other end of the line before you answered. "I'm sorry for calling so late, Peter," you spoke, and Peter could feel his heart break from hearing that you had obviously been crying. 

"No. No, it's fine. I was up anyway." 

"Can you just stay on the phone until I fall asleep? I just...I just want to know you're there."

"I'll always be here for you," Peter promised, a small smile creeping onto his face. 

"Thank you." You told him softly, sniffing up again. 

"No problem. Just let me get some clothes on real quick." Peter held his phone ear to shoulder as he went back to his dresser. 

"Are you seriously naked right now?" 

Peter nearly dropped his phone on his foot, only catching it at the last minute. "Not like that-I was changing!" He spluttered into the speaker, hearing your laugh over the line. 

"At one a.m.? What did you say you were up doing again?" 

"Come on," Peter let out a soft exasperated sigh, pulling his legs through a pair of pajama pants and grabbing the first shirt out of his top drawer, trying his hardest to put it on without pulling his phone from his ear.

"I'm just teasing," he heard you shift on your bed over the line. "Tell me about something. Anything."

"Hm, let me think." Peter sat down on his bed. His exhaustion could wait. "Did I tell you about how Abe really has the best humor out of all of us on the entire Decathlon team?"

* * *

Was Peter making a mistake? Probably. 

Was he going to stop? Probably not. 

Up to this point, Peter had only done stake outs as Spider-Man. So maybe him standing outside of the library on Midtown Tech's campus as just Peter Parker should have been the first red flag to what he was doing. 

But when things came to you, did he really think about the consequences?

Peter was going over things to say in his head as he waited for Connor to leave the building. Each variant fueled with even more anger than the last. 

He still didn't know exactly why you were upset to the point you were crying last night, but between laughing and Peter going through all the stops to distract you like you had asked him to do, you had dropped enough hints it was Connors fault. 

Again.

That was all Peter needed to act. 

He was trying hard to keep himself calm though. He didn't want to be aggressive, that just wasn't him. He just wanted answers. Because Connor was hurting you, and that was _not_ okay. 

Peter heard footsteps descend the stairs he had his back turned too, but he was too caught up in trying to figure out the best thing to say to really notice. 

"Hey man," Peter just barely caught himself from flinching in surprise. "You're Peter Parker, right?" 

Peter turned at the sound of someone addressing him. Which didn't happen often. His eyes gave away his shock though, when he saw he was staring right at Connor. 

"Uh, yeah. Yeah." He confirmed. "Hi. Connor, right?" That came out a little more harsh than he wanted it to be. 

Luckily, Connor didn't seem to notice. "That's me, yeah. I'm actually really happy I ran into you." 

"What?" Peter blinked. 

"I'd really like your advice. Because you're one of Y/N's best friends, and I really want to make sure I haven't messed things up with her." 

" _What_?" Peter dumbly asked again before shaking him out of it. "I mean, what's- what is it?" 

"Mind if we sit?" Connor asked, glancing at Peter as he sat down on the library's front steps. Cautiously, Peter sat down next to him. "Look man, I'm so scared." Connor sighed, staring down at his feet as he pushed his hair back anxiously. "I don't know if she told you, but we've kind of had our first fight the other day." 

"I might have - I might have heard about that, yeah." Was Peter playing that a little too casually? It didn't matter. Things were straying a little bit left of the plan and Peter was trying to keep his cool. He came for answers, not to blow up on his best friends boyfriend. 

"You don't need to act like you didn't," Connor laughed dryly. "It's okay. She isn't the type of person to hide what she feels. We both know that."

"Yeah." Peter answered truthfully this time, watching Connor carefully. 

"I just feel really bad," he said in a soft voice, shaking his head slightly, and to his surprise, Peter believed him. "I never should have asked her to cut down some of her internship hours."

_Woah_. So that's what had happened? Peter understood why you were so upset now. You had worked your butt off for that internship. You studied and waited years before you got accepted. And if you did good work there, the hospital would give you a letter of recommendation for your collage and grad schools when the time came. Your internship was your everything. Very similarly to how Peter's "internship" was to him. 

"I just-" Connor sighed. "I never should have. There's no excuse. I've known from the start of our relationship that I would have to work our dates around the days she goes. She made me promise, because this was so important to her. It was the least I could do, because she's so special and deserves it." _Yeah she is._ "So when I asked if she could ditch so we could go out...I'm just trying to find a way to apologize. I don't feel like _sorry_ is enough." 

Peter instantly felt bad. He came with the intent to ambush Connor and to force him (if it got to that point) to apologize to you. But that isn't what happened at all. 

Instead, Connor was the one to come up to him. He was already going to apologize. He was so heartbroken and genuine asking _Peter_ what he should do to fix it.

Connor loved you. 

And as much as he hated to admit it, you loved Connor.

Peter closed his eyes and smiled sadly. Maybe this was the moment of realization he needed. 

"I was planning on making it up to her with a movie night when she was free this weekend, but since you and her just had a marathon I figured I should do something else." 

Peter thought about it. "How are you with Global Studies?" 

Connor looked at him on the verge of asking a question why right before Peter watched as he understood what he meant. "Her test is this week. She's been studying like crazy, thinking she's going to fail it because it's her weakest subject." 

"Yup." Peter nodded his head. "A study date doesn't sound too bad." He proposed. "As long as you guys are _studying_." He couldn't stop himself from adding. 

Connor laughed. "I wouldn't dare," he replied. "You think that would be enough?"

"Well you would have to talk to her, obviously." Peter shrugged. "Just tell her what you told me. The truth. Y/N will understand. She really wants the two of you to work. She's happy with you."

"I'm happy with her too." Connor said softly. 

The entire conversation was sorely bittersweet, but Peter had the feeling that it had to happen. Connor wasn't a bad person. Peter shouldn't have been trying to compete with him. He understood that now.

"Hey, like you said: this is your first fight. It's perfectly normal. All couples argue. The best thing for you to do is to talk it out. Admit what the both of you did wrong, and find a solution together." Peter sighed. "You two will work it out. I'm sure." 

Connor smiled gratefully. "Thanks man." 

"Yeah, it's no problem." 

"No, I'm serious. Thank you for being Y/N's friend. She talks about you a lot, and she really cares about you. I really appreciate you being in her corner. Being there for her." 

"Oh." Peter smiled. "Yeah. Yeah of course." 

Connor nodded before standing up and Peter watched as he walked away. It seemed like there were new terms he was going to have to accept.

* * *

  
  


Peter had thought he was in love.

And maybe he was.

It took him a little bit longer than he should have, but soon, it became clear that what Peter was feeling for you was not the love he thought it was.

He loved you; yes. There was no denying that. But only as the amazing friend you were. Just as you felt for him.

It hurt. Of course. It took a while for Peter to sort out his feelings. May was right there for him to confide in, and she really was the best aunt in the world as if Peter needed any more proof.

You were an important person in his life. Still are. Everyone needs a person to make them feel things they hadn't before. Give an experience to learn from. Maybe at the beginning, Peter truly had really liked you more than a friend, but as time passed, he mistaked the comfortableness and security he felt around you with love.

May had told him it was a fine line. That there was no way he could have actually been for sure. But she had assured Peter that he made the right decision. Because he loved you, he had to let you go.

Peter didn't regret it. He still kept you in his life; you, Ned and him becoming a trio to be reckoned with. You were still one of his best friends. And you were still happy with Connor. That's all Peter ever wanted. For you to be happy.

The decathlon team was meeting in the library today. Since the competition was edging nearer, MJ, now the captain, had proposed that they should change up their study sessions a little bit. Everyone had been assigned a certain topic, and after a little bit, they would help quiz each other all around.

MJ was a great leader. She was smart, and assertive when she needed to be. She knew what the team needed to be pushed just the right amount, and Peter was absolutely sure they would get another win with her this year. She was amazing.

Sitting down in the chair next to Ned, Peter grabbed his study book and opened it up.

"Dude," Peter heard Ned whisper to him, nudging his shoulder a couple minutes into the study session, after attendance and instructions.

"Yeah?" Peter asked, his eyes not leaving his page. He needed to commit organic compounds to his memory because even though he's supposed to be the one to teach MJ, she's definitely going to be the one to teach him.

"Michelle's been staring at you for like, I dunno man, thirty seconds?"

"What?" Peter's head shot up and sure enough, MJ had been looking in his direction. Of course she was much more natural in making it look like she wasn't. He never would have thought she was, if this hadn't been the fourth time he'd "caught" her.

Peter bit back a smile as he tried to go back to studying. The heat rising to his face however made it hard to ignore the urge to pay more attention to MJ. He had made it that far without getting distracted by her, which was a feat all in it's own.

"I don't think you should wait until summer to tell her," Ned continued whispering, glancing up at MJ. "Y/N agrees with me too. You should just go for it!"

"I told you," Peter smiled, unable to resist looking up at MJ from across the table. "I have a plan. I'm doing this right. I have a good feeling about this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants other oneshots based on/inspired by a song, feel free to suggest some in the comments! I'll give them a listen if I don't already know it, and hopefully it'll stir up some ideas!


	51. All We Can Do Is Wait And See [HolidayVerse]

"You guys are seriously turning down going to a New Year's Gala hosted by _Tony-freaking-Stark_?"

You just scoffed as Ned just tossed a bewildered look between you and Peter.

"I'd rather ring in the new year with you guys. All my friends." Peter shrugged. To the best of his ability, anyway. Apparently it was harder to move his shoulders when he was combating gravity.

"Tony's parties are overrated anyway. Trust me." You chimed in from your end of Peter's bed, swatting at the boy's hand as he tried to poke your nose, making him nearly fall from laughter from where he was hanging over the top bunk.

Ned looked up from his laptop. "All the news of a Stark Party says otherwise!" He huffed slightly as he rewrote a line of code for the small robot he built that was balancing on his lap. For the past half hour, he's been trying to make it jump, but he keeps running into small glitches which were starting to even irritate you.

"If your goal is to see the Avengers drunk and act crazy, just come over Saturday game nights. They'll do it sober." You snickered, watching out of the corner of your eye Peter drop from the top bunk and settle on the bed between you and Ned. "They're more childish than we are."

"Yeah, dude. It's insane. You really should come by on a game night. You do gotta watch your head though because a lot of things get thrown."

Ned chuckled as he ran the code again, checking math in an open notebook. "Hey, progress!" He said as the tiny bot twitched its legs before it fell over. "Look guys, all I'm asking is why you're so adamant about throwing your own party instead of just inviting us to one with the _Avengers._ "

Your eyes glanced in Peter's direction, seeing the boy quickly bite his lip as he tried his hardest to think of what to say.

Neither of you had talked to anyone about your newfound feelings for one another. You at least, were weighting the options. Trying to figure out just how much would change between you and Peter — you and your friends — if you had gotten together. Whether it would be a good change, or if it would forever change your friendship. And not in the good way.

The reason, you and Peter had mututally decided, about why instead of attending Tony's New Year's Gala the both of you decided just to have a small party with friends was because you knew everyone at the Tower would try their hardest to push you and Peter together at midnight. Somehow, they all knew. Either it was becoming more obvious — the small changes between the two of you (you yourself had begun to notice just how much you stare at Peter for no reason or how you always find ways to stay so close to him you're almost always nearly touching)—, or Loki and the twins betrayed your trust and let everyone in on the scoop. You didn't know if you could blame them if they did. It must be frustrating to be witness to how you and Peter dance around each other.

Either way, you decided the safer route — the one with the least pressure — would be spending the time with what would be your non-Avenger related — and hopefully oblivious — friends.

Of course Ned was a little suspicious, behind his want to spend the night with literal superheroes. So would everyone else if they heard it was you who wanted the party. You were fairly new to Peter's friend group. You wouldn't have met Ned or Michelle or the Decathlon team if Peter hadn't introduced you. So your first mistake was revealing that it was your idea for the separate party. Hopefully from this moment on, you'd present it as Peter's suggestion.

"We already told you," Peter started, "you guys are just way cooler than the Avengers."

"Now I know you're lying." Ned squinted his eyes and Peter looked slightly offended. "But whatever. I'm down. Spending time with you guys is awesome anyway. Need help party planning?"

"Well I didn't think it would really be a _party_ party..."Peter started. "I mean, there isn't a lot of room here, and there wouldn't be a lot of us anyway."

"Just a little shopping. Drinks and snacks." You stated. "We'll be ordering pizza later too."

"Well, you can count me there." Ned sighed, stretching his arms and fingers. "I think MJ, Betty, and Sally are free. We'd have to check for Abe and Charles."

"We might have to put a spin on some truths so Cindy could come too." You narrowed your eyes when you saw the worried look on Peter's face.

"Hey," you tell him, placing a hand on his arm. "Everything's gonna be alright. This'll be a great party."

Peter smiled under your encouragement. "Right. Yeah. Come on guys, we've got a party to throw!"

It wasn't the party itself that presented a challenge. So that was a plus.

Aunt May was more than willing to help shop and decorate the apartment, even if she had to work most of the night and wouldn't be able to witness the party itself. Chips and sodas were replenished and the freezer reached its capacity of ice.

For most of the guests, the short notice wasn't much of a problem. Although, come the day, you and Peter had to perform a search and rescue to save Cindy from piano lessons. From there, things had only gotten better. For a little while.

To pass the time, everyone spent the remaining daylight hours at the ice rink — partly to upkeep a told lie, partly because it sounded fun. So by the time everyone got back to Peter's apartment, they were a bit sore but also excited and having fun and ready to keep going.

The apartment was filled with friends, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Music playing in the background as the TV was on the countdown, even if there were still hours to go.

You found yourself hanging with Michelle a little more when Peter drifted to his other friends. You'd expected her not to pay attention to you at first, but she looked at you with interest and willingly started talking to you, starting what you thought would be a really strong friendship.

It was nice, the party, and you weren't regretting making the decision with Peter at all. Even as Tony and Clint kept sending you pictures and video of increasingly insane and funny things that were happening — like a slowed down frame by frame shot of Pietro stumbling after Bucky had stuck his foot out to trip him, and him using his speed to catch his drink before it spilled on Pepper's beautiful dress with Bucky and Tony snickering in the background, or a video showing Natasha and Morgan in the corner of the room together practicing some basic self defense moves quickly cutting to Morgan going up to Thor and pushing a small palm to Thor's gut and the god over dramatically falling to the ground in 'defeat', or Sam with a few drinks in him dragging out the karaoke machine to start playing the music for _Star Spangled Man With A Plan_ and the camera panning to Steve nearly jumping out the window from embarrassment before he was pulled reluctanly to the microphone.

While everything you were being sent was priceless, you enjoyed being in this atmosphere better. It was rare you spent a lot of time outside the Tower and not surrounded by superheroes, and you found yourself jumping at any chance to do something that wasn't tied to your home. Most of which was with Peter. The boy who had the best of both worlds.

There was a knock on the door and from where you were standing, you watched Peter make his way to open it. A minute later, Peter closed the door and turned around with a big smile on his face, making him look really cute and nearly ridiculous with the amount of New Year's accessories he was wearing on his head and face alone. "Pizza time!" He announced, brandishing the three boxes he held in his arms proudly and collecting cheers from the room.

Everyone was starving, even though they'd devoured six of eight chip bags and three bowls of popcorn.

You had been currently draping another beaded necklace over Peter when your phone buzzed in your pocket. At that point, he looked like he was made of more plastic than skin with the flimsy hat and glasses he wore and the eleven — now twelve— colored necklaces and a gold feathered boa across his shoulders. Of course, Peter wouldn't allow him to look that ridiculous without you matching, so you sported a similar look, laughing at Peter's image through blue tinted glasses.

You ignored your phone, thinking it was just another message that you could get to in a couple of minutes, but when the buzzing became relentless, you pulled it out and stared at the screen.

Your smile fell when you realized it was the crime tracker you had programmed into your phone, alerting you of a robbery in progress — complete with a hostage situation.

"What happened?" He smiled, moving to your side to peer over your shoulder to your phone. "Oh."

"You wouldn't mind covering for me, would you?" You offered a weak smile that made Peter frown. "Come on, you know I can't ignore this!"

You glanced at your friends before the both of you shuffled closer to the wall away from them a little bit. "I know! But you've been having so much fun!" He argued. "Let me go and take care of this, so you can enjoy yourself."

"Peter—"

"Your suit isn't bulletproof, Y/N." Peter grabbed your phone, reading the information your programs were stealing from the police reports. "Mine is. I'll be in and out, save those guys, then be back by midnight for you, okay?"

"I'm coming with you!" You argued.

Peter's voice lowered, and you thought he was blushing because his cheeks tinted a slightly darker blue. "I um, I think Ned already thinks we're— and I wouldn't be surprised if MJ didn't. Would it really help if both of us disappeared for a while?"

"That was low, Parker," you sighed, "but fine. Make it _fast._ And don't get hurt."

"Guess I'm squeezing in one more before the New Year." Peter took a deep breath, giving your phone back and beginning to shed his apparel as he backed up toward his room. "I won't even have a scratch when I get back."

"I'd like to make sure of that."

Peter paused for a moment, sending a tender smile in your direction before he disappeared into his room to suit up. You saw the doorknob jiggle as he locked the door behind him.

The only thing you could do now was wait and to distract yourself the best you could. Joining the gathering crowd as Ned showed off the tricks he programmed his robot to do seemed like the best opportunity. You smiled as every time he was successful as writing code on the fly as requests were being shouted, Betty leaned over to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

Even as you tried to get lost in the party as you did before, you just couldn't. Not in the way you could enjoy yourself. Not after you spouted out the lie of Peter helping his neighbor to the hospital after the drunkenly fell down the stairs about why he was suddenly missing. Ned realized immediately that wasn't the truth, but you expected he was used to Peter abruptly leaving places to go Spider-Manning.

Every time you check the time, you realize more and more time passed.

8:43. 9:27. 10:52. 11:18.

Around the 11:50 mark, you slipped away toward Peter's room, slipping a credit card Tony gave you through the crevice to unlock the door and heading inside.

You opened the window and tied up the curtain so you could see out of it clearly and dragged his desk chair as close as you could get it.

Peter had been gone four hours, and you couldn't help but to start to worry. Hostage rescues were always risky business. You had to make sure to take out the threat in any way that wouldn't hurt the innocent people.

You knew Peter was smart, and when it came to it, logical, but you couldn't squash that thought that maybe he had messed up the equation somehow. That he got hurt. Or even that he got someone else hurt. That would tear him up inside.

You sat in the chair by the window for only five minutes, but those five minutes felt like an eternity. You couldn't stop fidgeting and you looked outside every couple of seconds. Next time, you knew you wouldn't care what people might think the two of you were doing — you were going with him.

You were rubbing your eyes, trying to suppress the feeling of wanting to cry anxious tears, when you heard his voice.

"Hey,"

You jumped a little, not having heard him come in next to you when you usually would have. Even with his stealth.

Peter's voice was soft, but not because of any reason you would assume. It was full of worry. Worry for you.

Immediately, you stood up across from him, putting a mask over the fear you had and drawing your eyebrows together in anger.

"What _took_ you so long?!" You hissed, watching as his mask collapsed down. "Peter, you — I knew I should've gone with you!"

"I wasn't gonna let you when your leg _just_ healed!" He countered. "Besides, I promise you, nothing bad happened."

"Then what took you so long?' You repeated softly, looking down at your feet.

Peter sighed. "Looks like I have a new villain on my hands. Dude goes by the name Tombstone. The robbery was a trap—" your eyes widened "—to introduce me to him. But don't worry! I saved the hostages, found out as much as I could about this guy, _and_ got out. And as far as I can tell, I'm not hurt."

You blinked, so many emotions in you that you weren't sure exactly which one to choose. "You are too calm to have just come back from all that."

He just laughed. "Well I knew I would have to be, so you wouldn't freak out. Because when you freak out, I freak out, and it's not a very good cycle."

"You know we're gonna have to tell Tony and the team about this, right?"

"Later?" He asked with a crooked smile. "I just wanna go back out there and enjoy the party and—"

"TEN!"

"Well—"

"NINE!"

"—looks like we're missing it."

"EIGHT!"

Peter glanced at the door. "Are we going out?"

"SEVEN!"

"Be more specific?"

"SIX!"

"Out there. With everyone—"

"FIVE!"

You gulped, your stomach churning with nervousness, but you blurted out the words before even thinking them. It wasn't like you had the time to think anyway.

For a whole month, you've had time to decide which route to take when it came to you and Peter. You weighed out pros and cons, imagined what it would be like to both take the next step and what it would be like to loose him all the same, and you couldn't come to a conclusion.

But one millisecond of a thought, and you were throwing all that deliberation out of the window.

"I'm gonna kiss you." You stated as firmly as you could.

"FOUR!"

" _What?_ "

"THREE!"

"At midnight."

"TWO!"

"Just so you have a second to—" _stop_ _me,_ was the rest of that sentence.

You couldn't finish, but this time it wasn't because of your friends shouting the next room over.

"ONE!"

There were fireworks on the TV. Fireworks outside. And fireworks _inside._

You'd be lying if you said you didn't think about what it would be like to kiss Peter. How it makes you wake up with your heart beating fast when you dream of him. But all that imagining couldn't compare to the real thing.

He was warm. Exceedingly so, for just having been outside in the cold for the past couple of hours. The touch was electric, making goosebumps appear on your skin. His hands were gently cradling your face, the metal of his suit a little chilly, but it didn't matter.

He was unsure, giving you the option to pull away even though you already had the intent to kiss him before he shot forward and did it first.

You shifted, reaching your arms to wrap around Peter's neck, but the necklaces around your own moves and clashed with his suit, making the both of you freeze at the weird noise of plastic clanging with metal, look down, and then start laughing.

"Happy New Year," you whispered, taking a deep breath.

"So we're trying this?" He asked softly with a smile threatening to betray just how happy he was.

"Yeah. I—"

Peter's tensed, turning his head slightly towards the door and in a second, his suit began to dematerialize and condense into the wristwatch Tony made an option so Peter could carry it around, leaving him in nothing but his boxers, you realized with red cheeks.

"I didn't mean _that_ —"

The door to Peter's room opened, and you stilled, now knowing that he didn't know who was approaching and taking off his suit was the best way to keep his identity secret.

"Y/N? I thought you'd be in here. I know you're waiting for Peter, but you just missed midnight, man! We'll show him just what he missed when he comes—" It was at that moment that Ned's eyes focused and saw Peter standing in front of you. With your hands around him. Nearly naked. "Holy shit, I didn't mean to—"

"No!" You and Peter shouted, overlapping each other. "It's not what it looks like!"

"It's all good, I'll just pretend like I didn't see anything." Ned backed up, closing the door. "Don't take too long, May's gonna be back soon."

"Ned! Oh..." Peter covered his face and groaned before speaking muffled into his hands. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

"I don't know, but you should get dressed before he starts telling everyone to stay away from the door."

"Yeah," Peter agreed, already grabbing a nearest piece of clothing he could find. But not before taking the chance to press another kiss to your lips, grinning despite the mortification. And if there was one thing you knew, it was that Peter was definitely the affection type and that you should prepare yourself for what a relationship would entail. 

~Bonus Scene~

"It was _planned_?" You gasped, barely able to breath with the amount you were laughing, watching the video being projected onto the TV. 

"Yeah! Wanda, Loki, and Sam were planning it since last year," Clint snorted, his eyes on the screen even though he was there to witness the event in person.

You had nearly dragged Peter down as you doubled over with another bout of laughter, watching the screen.

Standing there reluctantly next to the karaoke stand, Steve was glaring daggers at the camera as he begrudgingly recited his lines from when he toured for the USO back when he first got the super soldier serum. Behind him were the shimmering illusions of the show girls in their costumes dancing and singing to the music, courtesy of Loki and Wanda's powers.

And then the camera shook and Tony jogged behind Steve inside his Iron Man suit, right when it would be the part of the show where Steve would pick up a motorcycle and spin around. 

The best part: _Steve picked him up._

Tony and the room whooped as Steve no doubt cursed in Irish Gaelic, a look on his face that could strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. 

"This is amazing!" Peter stuttered out between breaths. You swore you had tears in your eyes as the video restarted. 

"Kids this generation are horrible." Steve grumbled as he walked into the room and you, Clint, and Peter laughed even harder. 

"And we're about to get worse," you breathed, scrambling on the couch. "Where's my phone? I need to call Shuri! She needs to see this." 

  
  
********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to your regular dose of Complete Canon Disregard: New Year's Addition.
> 
> I put in a couple of refs, including an og Spider-Man one and I can't wait to see who gets them. I also wanted to put in a Supernatural joke (specifically from Caged Heat) but I decided against it — for this chapter. Definitely going to use it in the future.


	52. Stardust [HolidayVerse]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer (also for future reference): absolutely nothing wrong happens in the universes I write in unless I specifically hint at it or just say so, (i.e; no deaths, no traumatizing events) but y'know, everyone still found a way to find each other and be one big happy (semi-debatable) family. Don't question the logic. This is fanfiction. How else am I supposed to explain that Vison and Pietro are alive, and that Peter is still 16/17 but Morgan is also 5 and existing even though The Snap never happened? I don't even know if any of these take place in 2023 or 2017 or what. Just...who the hell knows? Shhh...
> 
> And yes. This also serves as a warning to say I'm mentioning a couple of characters in this chapter that I haven't seen in fics often and this is definitely a teaser that they're probably going to make more appearances from now on.
> 
> Also²: there are translations at the end of the chapter. You'll understand once you get there. (Unless you just use Google Translate mid-reading. I'd advise against skipping to the end for them, to avoid your eyes catching spoilers, but they are there—okay this AN is ridiculously long. I'll stop now. Enjoy!)
> 
> Warning/potential trigger: there's a brief mention of someone wanting to die, but it's also coming from a tired Gen Z kid, so its really not to be taken seriously

****  
  
  
  
  


"So, you're telling me that you and Peter are dating, but you're also... _not_ dating?"

  
"Exactly!" You exclaimed, finally relieved that Pietro was getting the memo. You glanced up from where you were doing your homework to where you felt his eyes on you to meet a deadpan face. "It's not a hard concept to grasp."

"Oh no, it is not hard." He shrugged, half-heartedly agreeing and spinning a pen between his fingers too fast for your to actually see it was a pen. "I'll tell you what it is though: _prost ca naiba_."

You rolled your eyes, wondering if it was for better or for worse you took those Romanian classes a couple years ago. It wasn't like you were going to continue letting him commentate your life when he got bored (which was often) unless you actually knew what he was saying. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously! Are you even hearing yourself right now? You two are obviously into each other, so why not just date and make it official?" 

"It's..." you sighed. "It's not that easy," You tell him, letting out a soft huff as you were starting to get frustrated with your homework. "Me and Peter, we've been friends for so long, and we have this special relationship that isn't romantic, and the both of us realize that we don't want to ruin that." 

Pietro just groaned, the answer obviously not being the one he wanted. "It has been over a month! How haven't you figured something out yet?"

"I'm sorry we're taking things slow?"

"That word literally isn't in my vocabulary, do you even know just how much it antagonizes me?" He slumped dramatically in the chair he was sitting in, spinning the pen faster; fast enough that you could hear it cutting through the air like helicopter blades. 

"Why are you so invested, anyway?"

"Because," Pietro took the the question as an invitation to sit closer, appearing in front of you on the couch in a blur, and you barely had the time to make sure your homework didn't fly everywhere. "Spotting tension is something I'm an expert with, I like to think. I saw Peter coming from a mile away, and how many more times do I have to say that I have literally been _waiting foreve_ r for this?"

"Whatever you say," you scoffed, "but neither me or Peter have the luck you have when it comes to any relationship other than being friends. Testing the waters is the best choice of action, here." 

"You do lack my charm, no?" He mused, a smug smile appearing on his face and you just rolled your eyes, smoothing out your paper and circling an answer on the multiple choice portion of your work. 

"If by 'charm', you mean being attractive and confident enough that you could flirt with literally anyone and they'd do anything you want, then yes. You're absolutely right." 

"It's really all in the confidence, _prietenul meu,_ but I will take a compliment when I get one. If you are having trouble, what do you say?" You glanced up again as he paused, searching his brain for the right phrase. "Ah! Fake it until you make it!"

"Having confidence isn't my _problem_ ," you sighed. "It's getting over the fear that going for something romantic would ruin the relationship I already have going strong with Peter." You admitted, biting the inside of your cheek. You valued his friendship more than anything else you could have. 

"Maybe I should have Wanda block the part of your brain that releases whatever causes fear or something." You glared in Pietro's direction. "What? I have a lot riding on this!"

"You're betting on me and Peter?!" You gasped, homework forgotten about. "With who else?" 

"Hey, snitches wind up in ditches! And the Black Widow would make sure I would never get found." 

" _Natasha?!_ "

" _La naiba_."

"This is ridiculous." You threw yourself back against the couch. "Doesn't everything have anything better to do? I can't believe it. _And_ "--you sat up and pointed your pen menacingly at the speedster in front of you--"don't _you_ have to be on a collage campus an hour away in five minutes for your next class? What the hell are you even doing here?"

"The air conditioning in my dorm is blasting cold air into the already freezing room. I don't want to spend any unnecessary time in there. Hypothermia is a serious problem, Y/N." 

"Your body literally vibrates fast enough to produce enough heat for four people in the middle of a snowstorm in Antarctica, so stop lying." You grumbled as you rolled your eyes. Pietro just shrugged, an indifferent look on his face.

"I can't help it if your life is more entertaining." 

You snorted. "Yeah, okay. I think I've witnessed you wink at a group of girls and one of them nearly fell over. I'd say yours is entertaining enough, Mr. Ladies-Man." 

"Compliment me again, and I might think you like me too." 

"Don't get too full of yourself. I like Peter way too much to even bat an eye in your direction." You said, staring at your homework in an attempt to clear your brain so you could focus. 

"You hurt my feelings, you know? You can always admit the truth. If you want, I'll even wait for you, _prinţesă_ ," You heard him tease and your reaction was to throw the pen in your hand. You didn't even need to look to notice he caught it as you rummaged through your bag for another one. 

"Thanks! I have been loosing pens like crazy and I need this for class." The couch bounced as he stood up in a blink.

"What the hell? No! Give it back!"

"What? I didn't hear you! Too busy moving at the speed of sound, y'know? Gotta go!" 

"You dick!" You shouted after him as the silver of his hair and the navy and black of his clothes streaked through the air as he left the room. 

So now you were sitting on the couch in one of the many (but the one that gets used the most) living rooms of the Avengers Tower alone with the homework you promised yourself (and Tony) you would get done before you did anything else on a Friday afternoon. 

Needless to say, you were bored and left alone with your thoughts. Never a good combo. 

You considered texting Peter, since he was one of the only ones you could trust at this point, but then you remembered he hadn't faked being sick to get out of school early. 

In your defense, you had just remembered about the homework that was due the next period and you had zero percent of it done. You just happened to be a very convincing lair, paid a very grumpy Happy with two Hershey's bars for pulling him from his day off to pick you up, and flashed an innocent grin to Tony as he met you in the Tower with his arms crossed and his best Dad Face on as a mask to hide the smirk he was holding back. Lucky for you, Pepper was with Morgan at some kind of school function. If not, she would have three-sixtied you right back to Midtown Tech. 

One thing led to another--or rather, they didn't--and two hours later, you were still lying down on the couch. The only difference being that your Global Studies textbook was splayed over your face in a sign of defeat.

A loud drawn groan was what announced Peter's arrival as he slumped into the room, his bag landing on the floor with a heavy thud. 

"Don't you have an apartment?" You forced out. You wouldn't ever oppose to seeing Peter.

"May's at work. Don't wanna be alone."

"Mhm," 

You didn't move, but you listened. A soft tired moan droned on from Peter, and you could hear it move as he traversed the room until it finally stopped as he settled. 

Curious to where he was, you say up and found him laying on his back against the ceiling a couple feet away from you, his hands pulling at his face. 

"There's room down here, you know."

"Up here's cleaner."

"Are you saying I'm dirty?"

"I'm saying you take up all the space."

"There is literally another couch right across from me."

"You're on the good one."

You bit back a smile. "You okay, Pete?"

"I'm ready for the tiny leprechauns that pinch me when I sleep to just kill me already. They've tortured me enough." 

"Well, whenever you want, you can come down and I'll give you a hug. Not as good as the sweet release of death, but I'd say pretty damn close." 

Peter moved his hands, revealing a large smile. It was a bit of an awkward angle, looking up at him the way you were, but you smiled back, rolling your eyes as you swung your legs over the side of the couch to sit like a normal person and make room for the boy if he decided to come down and sit next to you. Which, of course he did. 

You pretended not to notice as Peter dropped from the ceiling, stumbling a little as he landed and nearly knocking over a lamp. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him look up to see if you were watching, and you kept a poker face despite your instinct to let out a snort. 

It wasn't long after he sat down next to you, watching as you were writing out the answer to a short response question, that you felt his arms wrapping around your torso and his head lying down on your shoulder. 

You felt your heart flutter at the proximity, and you couldn't help but to smile and lean into the touch. One good thing about your feelings for each other now being out in the open and accepted: neither of you had to hold back the urge to so something like this anymore without being scared the other would find it weird. 

"Four tests." You eventually heard Peter speak into your shirt, his voice muffled and his grip tighten. "I have to take _four tests_ in a row on Monday. On a _Monday_! Any chance I could ask Carol to take me into space when I see her on Sunday so I could fight in some kind of intergalactic war instead?"

"I think her and Monica already made plans, actually. Spend Valentine's Day weekend bar hopping and defending anyone who doesn't want to get hit on by some desperate creep, I'm pretty sure." Then you felt your eyebrows furrow as a confused look took over your face. "Wait, you're seeing Carol on Sunday? And you didn't invite me?" 

Peter's breath hitched and you wondered if it was because you mentioned the upcoming holiday--a topic the both of you had been dancing around since you remembered it was coming up--or because you asked about the plans you hadn't known about. 

"Yeah, um, there's something she's getting for me so I can-- Only for a few minutes though. Because-because she already has Valentine's plans." 

Then he tensed, and you figured not to push.

"Oh." 

The topic of Valentines was now hanging in the air. Neither of you knew exactly what the best course of action to take with it was. Not when the both of you still didn't know if dating was the best thing to do, and you were still debating the pros and cons of that. 

Kissing Peter was really nice though, so that was obviously a pro. 

Nevertheless, you had kept your plans for Sunday open. Just in case. 

Peter relaxed just as fast as he tensed up and he sighed--a puff of breath against your skin--before he sat up.

He removed his arms from around you, but rested a hand on your forearm. For a few seconds, he kept edging his fingers closer and closer to your hand just to walk them back, like he was debating on actually holding your hand or not. It wasn't until they lingered against your wrist longer than usual that you locked your fingers between his. He smiled as gave you a small smile. 

I was thinking about that, actually. About Sunday." He told you in a soft voice. You looked over to find him staring at the lamp he nearly knocked over a couple minutes ago. 

"You were?" 

"I was thinking that we should probably do something. You and me." You stopped writing and turned your full attention to the boy. "Not like, a date or anything! I know it would be really cliché if our first date was on Valentine's Day, but I know that I definitely want to spend it with you. Jus-just to see what it would be like."

"We don't have to do anything, you know?" You tell him, turning your hands over between, still intertwined. "We could spend all weekend in the lab for all I care. You'd need the distraction. Four tests-- Jesus Peter, what kind of teachers do you have?" 

"The kind that conspire together to feed off the tears and anguish of their students." He replied without missing a beat, and you could swear you could see the exhaustion and fear in his eyes already.

"Yeah. that's settled," you sighed. "We're relaxing Sunday. Unless you want to spend it studying instead?"

"Oh, God, no," he groaned, falling back onto you and letting out a fake sob. 

You placed a light kiss in his hair, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Lazy Sunday, it is."

"I'm about to enter the room!" You suddenly heard Sam shout loudly, making your head twist toward the doorway. "So now's the perfect time for certain people to throw on some clothes if the need be!"

" _I_ _adul sfânt,_ Sam, stop the goddy yelling and just come in!" You said, groaning, and not missing the questioning look on Peter's face as Sam became visible and took a seat on the couch across from the both of you. "Hanging out with Pietro has its quirks," you whispered offhandedly.

"Hey, you can't blame me for not wanting to see something I don't want to see." Sam argued, stretching his arms and letting a hum of relief.

You just chuckled softly, nodding toward the remnants of the tac gear he was wearing. "You were on a mission?"

"Just some clean-up. I don't wanna get dragged into anything that'll need my attention this close to Valentine's. Me and Riley's got plans, man."

"Nice." You nodded your head, shoving your homework to the side and curling up. It was your turn to cuddle on Peter, homework be damned. 

"What about you two? Got a date night planned? Must be big for you, yeah?" He grinned. 

"Nah," Peter answered, his hand moving to your back and securing you in place next to him. "We're just gonna chill together. Watch some movies or messing around with suit upgrades or whatever."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Really? No cheesy chocolates, or professions of love followed by intense makeout sessions into the night?" 

You scoffed, not bringing attention to the way Peter quickly glanced away from you. "That's just ridiculous." 

He held up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying what I used to do when I was a teen. You two obviously aren't normal. Where are your hormones? Are you sure you're even teenagers?"

"Ah yes, we had Strange do some weird and complicated time stuff that took our consciousness from fifty years in the future and shoved them into our teenaged bodies so we would be wise and sure of how to navigate our future without setting off the apocalypse." You deadpanned with a straight face, looking at a very amused Sam Wilson in the eye. You told yourself you looked intimidating, even curled up next to Peter and holding his and and basically looking like any typical couple. 

"That was really weirdly specific." Sam chuckled. "Were you waiting for someone to ask something like that?"

"Maybe I was."

"Well," He sighed as he pushed on his thighs as he stood up, "I guess I'll be glad to tell Stark he doesn't need to worry about you guys quote, unquote, 'fornicating' on the most romantic holiday of the year." He turned to leave the room, and you let out a dry laugh as he left. Figures Tony would send someone to find out your plans. He was probably stressed out of his mind with the thought of two kids he basically considers his own producing offspring. Oh no, that would make him a grandpa. 

You snorted at the thought, and then registered Peter's embarrassment roll off him in waves of heat. He stammered a little, but you just nudged his shoulder and told him not to think about it. 

"If you help me with my Global homework today, we can study for your stuff tomorrow, and have Sunday all to ourselves."

❤💙❤

  
Neither you or Peter were expecting to have the entirety of the Avenger-Only floors all to yourselves on Valentine's Day. 

It seemed like it was one of the really rare days where everyone actually had plans, and you weren't exactly sure what to make of it. The amount of space was huge, and between you and Peter, you had free reign over a lot of things and subsequently could _do_ almost anything. 

In the current turn of events, you insisted that you and Peter spent the day at his and May's in Queens instead, but Peter had informed you that May had insisted that she wanted him out of the apartment and to spend it with you at yours--or in other words, at the Tower. 

It was insane, really. Definitely unexpected. But not completely horrible. 

There were so many opportunities on how to spend your first Valentine's Day with Peter now that the two of you were sort of/sort of not dating.

The next course of action seemed obvious once the both of you had thought of it, sharing a knowing look: you seized the big screen. 

The rest of the Tower's inhabitants said Tony was just being overkill when he had dedicated an entire floor in the basement to be converted into a person movie theater, but at the moment, you and Peter were sending silent thanks and praising him and his billionaire ways. 

You had to say, playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on a 40 foot tall screen with the best surround sound technology available thanks to you and Peter rigging the system to support your Switch was absolutely life changing. You didn't know if you could go back to playing on a smaller screen ever again. 

When too many defeats in a row started to make Peter a sore loser (especially when the last one was to the A.I.), you decided it was time to do something else.

You honestly forgot it was anything but a regular Sunday as the both of you sat on the kitchen counters, eating ice cream and giggling as Peter decided to drown his in chocolate syrup. 

Or when Peter had put on your playlist, having F.R.I.D.A.Y. blare your favorite songs over the loudspeakers and the both of you sang and danced around the common floor, pretending to create your own music videos. 

Or when the sugar and exertion combined had caught up to you, and the both of you settled inot pajamas and snuggled on your bed with some kind of rom-com off of Netflix playing on your laptop in some kind of weak celebration of the holiday, even though neither you or Peter had been paying attention to it at all, deciding to talk instead, and completley lost but not bothered enough to restart from the beginning. 

"Today was fun," you whispered, and you felt his lips curve into a smile where they were pressed into the side of your shoulder. 

"Yeah. It was." Then you could hear hesitancy hitch in his voice and you lifted your head and waited to see what else he had to say. "Um, Y/N?" 

"Yeah?" 

"D'you think it's too late for a date--um, well, it's not really a _date_ , and more of just something I wanted to show you. Er--not _me_ show you _exactly_ , since _I_ didn't actually get it for you, but y'know, I asked for a favor, and--"

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"Of course it's okay." You smiled, sitting up. "What is it?"

"Oh! Okay!" He leaned over to grab his phone. "Well, I-I just have to see when Carol's getting here. She told me it might be a little bit, but she promised before midnight. But in her defense, she did have plans before I even asked, and I really hope I didn't inconvenience her or Monica, I would feel so bad--"

"Peter," you said softly, making him laugh nervously when he realized he was rambling again. "You really didn't have to get me anything, you know? I thought we said we weren't making a big deal out of this."

"And we aren't. I just thought--She mentioned something about this last time she visited, and I just thought you would like it. It has nothing to do with Valentine's Day at all. It just so happened that I remembered about it earlier Friday morning and the quickest time she could get it to me was today, because she has to go off world and all that. I do owe her a big favor now though, even if she says it's all good..."

"Um," now you weren't sure whether to be curious or concerned. Both seemed to be viable options. "What... _exactly_ did you ask her to do?"

"Uh, you'll see!"

News flash of the year: you hated waiting. 

You and Peter had migrated to stand on the balcony of the Tower outside, bundled up against the winter weather. You made sure Peter was wearing a few more layers than normal since he had a bit of a problem thermoregulating on his own, even if he insisted the both of you wouldn't be outside long.

He was right it seemed, and it wasn't too long for Carol to show up. Soon, you saw Captain Marvel, a bright light in the nighttime sky emerging from past the hazy clouds and who knows just how much further, and land in front in front of you and Peter, fully suited. 

And in her hands, what looked like a small jar inside a magenta colored cloth pouch. 

"Hey guys," she said with a casual grin. "As much as I would love to stick around, I'm an adult with previous engagements, and my night has just started." 

She stepped forward and handed Peter what she was holding, her expression softening as she glanced between the two of you, and you couldn't help but to wonder if her and Peter had talked about something else he hadn't told you. "Don't worry about it. You've got this." She said to him, and he offered a soft thank you. 

You were torn between watching Carol leave--exchanging a wave and a grin--and focusing your attention on the mystery item.

Once you were alone again, Peter motioned for the both of you to head back inside. Shedding the cold fabric of your hats, jackets, and scarves, you settled back on your bed, this time, the both of you cross legged and facing each other with the covered gift in Peter's hands. 

You smiled as Peter took a deep breath.

"Um. F.R.I.? Could you turn off the lights please?" You cocked your head to the side. 

"Of course, Mr. Parker."

"Mind telling me what we're doing in the dark? You asked, your eyes adjusting to see Peter's silhouette across from you, only visible by the slivers of light from your curtain covered window. But the answer was starting to make an appearance as you saw the faint glow come from the mystery item in Peter's hands. 

"So, let me--let me explain a little."

"Please do," you laughed. 

"Last time Carol visited, Morgan had asked her about the prettiest parts of space. I was just lucky enough to be included in the conversation too, I guess.

"Anyway, so, Morgan had asked, and Carol told her that it definitely had to be the stars she was able to see. And that how, when you forget that they're actual giant balls of gas, that they're beautiful and calming."

Peter untied the string on the pouch, but kept the item hidden. 

"Then she mentioned coming across a shop on a planet she helped protect one. The owner gave her a couple of gifts out of gratitude, this being one of them. She told us how she didn't need it, because she could visit space and see it herself any time she wanted, so I asked her about it before she left. And then again a couple of days ago. I just--I just thought you would like it."

Peter let the cloth drop, and you gasped as light softly filled the room. 

In an airtight jar, contained a plethora of twinkling colors that never seemed to stop moving. Reds and pinks, purples and blues and greens, all swirling together in beautiful and shimmering clouds. It almost hurt to look at, you had never seen anything like it before. All encapsulated in front of you on display like a galaxy in a bottle. 

Your eyes were entrances on the jar Peter was now handing to you so you could get a better look, but you could see the smile that lit up his face as he watched your own, trained on your every move. For a few moments, the both of you stayed silent. Peter just as enamored as you were.

"She um," he started in a soft voice. "She explained that on that planet, they had made enough technological advances to be able to safely harvest stars so their scientists could study them further. After a couple of years, the tech was then spread to select employers for retail use." 

"What I'm holding...inside here..." you breathes out.

"The death of a star," Peter nodded, confirming your suspicions. "Stardust." His voice was quiet too. "We're all made up of that, you know? Stardust. You and me. Everyone around us. Everyone in the world is constructed of something as beautiful as what you're holding in your hands right now. And that's what I always see when I look at you. Colors. Bright and vibrant. Always churning and changing. Always beautiful. A sea of possibilities and chances to become anything you want." 

When you felt a tear roll down your cheek, you let out a short laugh, drenched in so many emotions. 

For the first time, you tore your eyes from the stardust and looked at Peter. You couldn't even form the words let alone the thoughts of how much you absolutely adored him in this moment alone. 

How much you loved him. 

Wow. You were in love with Peter Parker, weren't you?

Being careful, you gently placed the jar on the bed besides you, and instead took Peter's hands. 

"I-I don't even know what to say," you admitted truthfully in another soft laugh. 

"You don't have to say anything," Peter murmured, swiping his thumbs over the skin on the back of your hands. "I mean, you do--you do like it, right?"

You opened your mouth but no sound came out over the shock of what kind of question that was, so you shook your head and tried again. "I-I love it! I'm literally crying right now, Peter, I can't believe you got me something like that!" 

Then he laughed, and his eyes seemed to shine brighter with the stardust illuminating him in a damn near ethereal glow. 

"I know you're lying, you know," you accused him, although there was no real accusation in your words. "You definitely meant for this to be a Valentine's present. There's no way you couldn't have, especially when you said something as smooth as that after."

"I was just telling the truth!" 

"Mmhm," You rolled your eyes, your smile betraying your annoyance. "I want to hate you for this, because now there's no way I'm _ever_ gonna be able to give you a gift as perfect as this at all, but there's no way I could ever hate you. I just can't."

Peter just smiled, bringing your hands to his mouth and placing a soft kiss to your knuckles. "I'm sorry," 

"You such a sap!" You giggled, leaning in closer, letting go of his hands to wrap your arms around his neck. "I have to get you something now. How am I gonna top this?"

"You don't have too. Your reaction was far more than worth it." He assured you, although you knew in the back of your mind that you were going to be thinking about gifts for a while. 

You just shook your head, a smile unable to leave at this point in time. 

Peter tipped his head forward, and the both of you just sat with your eyes closed and foreheads pressed together in the silence for a couple of moments, the stardust still by your side and letting off a thrumming and comforting warmth and light. 

"Can I-- Could I kiss you again?" Peter broke the silence in a soft voice. "I-I'm not exactly sure if that's something we're doing-- Is that a thing? Are we doing that now? It's totally up to you. I just wanted to ask before I--before I did anything." 

You couldn't form the words, so you just nodded your head. Your brain was firing at cylinders you had never reached before, and emotions burst from your chest. You couldn't think of a moment that could ever be better than this one. Than a kiss shared in the quiet of the night. In the prescense of a star.

It was in that moment that you realized that maybe you have nothing to be scared about. 

That you had fallen in love. Even if you hadn't known it before, you did now. That being with Peter or not couldn't be decided with a pros/cons list. 

Because if being with Peter gave you precious moments like this, moments that made you forget about everything else in the world other than the boy you held in your arms, than you were going to do whatever you could to make these moments with him. 

The moments you wished could be stretched out to last forever. 

The moments that could very well _mean_ forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this might be my new favorite addition to the HolidayVerse. I don't know how I'm gonna to top this one.
> 
> No bonus scene this time because I felt it was fitting without one, since it's a little on the longer side (totally not because I couldn't think of one because of the amount of warm and fuzziness I was feeling inside after writing the ending)
> 
> A note to mention, I don't proclaim my love for Pietro nearly enough?? I love one (1) speedy boi.
> 
> I also now kinda wanna write a college au where Wanda and Pietro are definitely the cool seniors or TA's that freshmen Peter and reader could have as friends or whatever. Idk. Just another thing to go into the plot shop.
> 
> Oh yeah! I didn't forget. For the people who didn't whip out Google Translate, translations! (I am in no way a fluent in Romanian, so if I phrased anything wrong, anyone who knows more about the language than I do, please tell me!)
> 
> prost ca naiba = stupid as hell
> 
> prietenul meu = my friend
> 
> La naiba = damn it
> 
> prinţesă = (okay, this one is obvious) princess
> 
> Iadul sfânt = holy hell


	53. Non Posso Crederci

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired from the prompt: "You'll catch me, right?" — "Always."

"Peter, I swear to the gods, I'll call Thor myself and have him personally smite you if you even attempt to scare me right now."

The words came out gritted anger through your teeth as you kept your focus straight ahead on the screen and fingers tapping rapidly on the controller buttons.

There was a moment of quiet before you heard a soft sigh from behind you.

"How'd you know I was in here?" Peter asked with a disappointed groan, and you heard him get closer.

"Door opened. No footsteps." You said quickly. "Don't drop down yet, I've almost beat the level."

His shadow silhouetted you as you assumed he crawled on the ceiling above you. Luckily, he listened and he stayed still, humming a soft song under his breath as he waited.

"Get the mushroom!" He suddenly blurted out, and you realized he was watching you.

"What else do you think I'm going to do?" You yelled back with the same amount of panic. Your logic had abandoned you three minutes ago and you were playing on nothing but pure instinct.

Avoiding death, the mushroom power up gave you the hope you needed to reach the next bell spawn and deliver the final attack to Bowser, resulting in you beating the level — and the game.

Letting out a breath of relief, you sunk into your seat and covered your eyes, blinking a few times because you hadn't in a good couple of minutes.

Dropping your hands, you were met with Peter's smiling — upside down — face.

"Y'know, I don't think Mr. Stark pays you to sit around and play Super Mario all day."

"Mr. Stark doesn't pay me at all." You shot back in a dull voice before swatting at Peter, who just barely dodged your attack.

"What was that for?" He asked, dumbfounded at your attempt.

"You being stupid! I would've killed you if you had made me die again."

"Ah, no you wouldn't have," he laughed and you shot him a glare. "But whatever you say, you're still scary." He held his hands up in defense and you scoffed.

"So what are you doing? Other than playing video games in your spare time?"

"I'll tell you once you come down and become your normal height. You being so tall is unnatural." You turned around and stuffed your game into your bag before returning to your worktable. You could hear Peter laugh sarcastically as he landed with a light thud, not caring about stealth now that you made him. "And I'm not covering for you this time, you face Tony's wrath about footprints on the ceiling all alone."

"Aw, come on!" Peter pouted, pulling up a chair and slumping in it next to you. "He's gonna have me on janitorial duty for a week!"

You shrugged. "That's your fault. You know better than to get on the wrong side of my rage."

The smile on your face you couldn't quite hide was all Peter needed to know you weren't quite serious. He leaned closer and put his head on your shoulder and you tried your hardest to ignore it as you pried open a panel on your suit to fix the wiring.

"If you help me, I'll help you," he sang softly and you wished you hadn't turned your head because you were just met with the biggest puppy eyes you had ever seen him pull.

"You can't seriously hate cleaning that much." You chuckled, rolling your eyes.

"Excuse me, have you seen how big of a mess everyone makes! And Mr. Stark will be sure to tell them to not clean up after themselves so I would have to do it! Y/N, I can't go a week without access to my lab!" He begged and you put on your best disinterested face.

"Peter, you didn't even _have_ a lab three months ago. Besides, maybe you shouldn't have left scuff marks on places there shouldn't be for the — what, this would make it the eighth time in the last month — eighth time! Then Tony wouldn't be so mad."

"You just want to hear him curse me out in Italian." Peter accused, crossing his arms and putting some more. He was really trying his hardest to make you feel bad, wasn't he?

"Guilty." You grinned, not one to deny your actions. "Hey, it's not personal. Once you hear him call Captain America an 'absolute star spangled _testa_ _di_ _cazzo'_ to his face after him and Sam used his shield as an emergency wok and set it on fire, you kinda get a taste for seeing him aggravated. I'm just working my way down the Avengers line."

Peter blinked. "Who _hurt_ you?"

"Hey, you gotta prove to the universe you're crazy before it gets you first." You shrugged before sighing. "Just go get the Lysol and I'll forget about the crime scene. But you'll owe me."

"Thank you!" Peter had already bolted out of his seat with a speed that made yours sway a little.

Your friendship was a weird one, but a friendship nonetheless. When it came down to it, there was nothing either of you wouldn't do for the other. Of course, being friends with you came with a fair share of ribbing too. You took entertainment in any form you could get.

After the smell of lemon filled your lab, Peter sat across from you and looked over your notes as you tinkered with your suit, the both of you fell into a working mindset.

You knew you might get your own slew of Italian curses soon enough, since you were building an Iron Man suit of your own. Without Tony's permission, of course.

You didn't have a problem with reconnaissance for official Avengers missions necessarily (it was more than Peter was allowed when it came to quote, unquote, 'real danger' ), but you wanted to know what it felt like to actually help people in person. Peter had that ability when he donned the Spider-Man suit. You on the other hand, Tony thought wasn't ready yet.

So for the last couple of month, you've been pulling plans from Tony's archives, and started assembling a suit of your own. There was a chance it might get taken away immediately, but you wanted the satisfaction of knowing that you would have made something combat ready in case the time ever came. You never knew when the Avengers might need you to save their asses.

"I did the math correctly, right?" You asked Peter as you put the last piece into place, closing up the currently plain silver panel (color wasn't until after you had perfected the mechanics). "I know I did something wrong the first time."

"Yeah, it looks good," Peter nodded his head. "But you know I'm a better chemist, so my word can only go so far."

"Shut up, you know I can rely on your math just as much."

"Thanks man." Peter closed your book and you stood up from the table and looked over your work.

"No problem." You said, inspecting the pieces that would hopefully fit together and work in synch once you assembled them.

He sighed. "All done?"

"In theory." You gathered the pieces and lined them up like you were arranging a puzzle. "Test run time."

Peter nearly fell over. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now." You eyed him. "Wanna suit up?"

Ten minutes later, you had lugged a tote full of heavy suit parts to the roof of the compound and Peter was standing next to you wearing his suit spare the mask he wrung in his hands.

"Relax man," you laughed, seeing his anxious expression. "I'll be fine. Tony already did the bulk of the math, I just translated to fit my height and weight. I double checked, you double checked, I doubt three geniuses are wrong."

"I mean, I guess," Peter said slowly, still unsure. "I just don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't. And in the off chance something goes wrong, **you'l** l **catch me, right?** " You grinned, putting on the neural transmitter you were going to use to control the suit.

Peter barked out a laugh before pulling his mask over his head. "You know I **always** will." He said sincerely. "I just can't believe it's gone from me swinging you around to you flying yourself. You won't use me for your adrenaline fix anymore." You could hear the pout in his voice and smiled.

"How sad," you said rhetorically. "Alright, let's get this show on the road."

Peter stayed standing off to the side as your suit began to assemble around you. It was a little uncomfortable, the pieces flying through the air and clamping around your limbs, and then the weight of it all, but once your helmet fitted into place and the screen in front of your eyes buzzed to life, all you noticed was the excitement coursing through you.

"Woah," both you and Peter breathed at the same time.

You examined as much of you as you could, holding out your metal covered arms to see. You bent your arms and legs, walking around a little bit and jumping in place with heavy clunks to make sure everything stayed in place before you turned to Peter.

"Hey, hit me." You prompted, making the boy tilt his head to the side.

" _Wh_ y?"

"Come on! Hit me!"

"No!"

"I need to make sure it'll withstand an impact without hurting me, come on Pete!"

"I'm not gonna hit you!"

"Would you rather me jump off and use the ground as a test?"

His eyes narrowed. "Not cool Y/N. Not cool." He groaned as he took a step back, putting enough distance between the two of you so he could run forward and land a solid kick to your chest.

Peter landed upright from a flip as you steadied yourself, not completely prepared for how hard the blow was.

"You good?"

Peter couldn't see it, but you grinned. You held out a thumbs up as you laughed. You hadn't even felt anything except something pushing you. The suit was doing its job.

"Ready?" You asked him, stepping toward the edge. You looked over. Peter gave you a firm nod. "Alright Vic, create a new log: Flight Tests, entry one; 4:26 PM."

"Vic?" Peter questioned.

"What? You got Karen." You shrugged. "Okay. Let's see if these babies work. Thrusters at 3%."

A low hum rippled through the air as your suit powered up. You felt the energy begin to lift you from he ground, and you wobbled. Peter lunged to steady you, but you sharply turned your head. He got the message and backed up.

You took a deep breath as you steadied, hovering almost a foot off a solid surface. "Increase to 5."

You climbed another foot and a half, forcing Peter to look up at you. You grinned. "Go big or go home?"

"Oh, God," Peter groaned, knowing what you meant before he jumped off the roof of the Compound. The two of you decided the best bet was for you to test on the side of the obstacles course, so Peter would have places to swing from.

"100%, Vic!"

As much as you told yourself you were ready, it still took you by surprise just how fast you shot up into the sky. It was different than swinging with Peter. You couldn't feel the wind whipping around you. Just the weightless feeling.

Peter's shouts faded out of range as you skyrocketed up, and you realized that you should probably keep it fairly close to the ground for now. It didn't matter if it seemed to be working first time — which was a miracle in itself — but you didn't want to be the cause for a super-powered teenage boy having a heart attack at seventeen.

You whooped as you turned around and sliced through the sky, heading back towards the ground.

You leveled out, flying horizontally, and it only took a minute before Peter was swinging by your side.

You hadn't set up comms before hand, but you were close enough to hear Peter laughing next to you. He was just as excited as you were.

Looking forward to the mile of course, you spoke.

"Up for a race, Spider-Man?"

"You're on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question time!
> 
> Which Greek/Roman god or goddess would you rather be a child of, and do you prefer their Greek or Roman image?
> 
> Just a little question for a PJO/HOO AU I may or may not have in the works :) I would really appreciate it if any fans would comment to help narrow my decision!


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